The Pelanoi Accounts
by zipscool
Summary: A lush tropical island becomes a nightmare as Umbrella's legacy is unleashed on the inhabitants, and within a day the island is in chaos. One group of survivors seeks to survive the outbreak and escape, bringing the truth of the outbreak to light even as the corporation responsible moves to eradicate all evidence of its hand in the outbreak. Cameos accepted.
1. Pelanoi

**Greetings. I've seen a fair amount of these things going around certain places on this site and thought I'd try my hand at one.**

**UPDATE: Apparently there are rules against uploading documents with character sheets. With that in mind I've moved all relevant character submission info to my profile, if you wish you submit then please send me a PM. Thank you.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

Pelanoi?

Yeah I can tell you all about that place. I came from there after all, but then you already knew that, else you'd be talking to someone else about it.

…

The outbreak huh? Hrm. Not really territory I'd like to revisit to be –

Wait a sec, you're…

Haaah… shit. Well if you're with them then maybe if I tell you what it was like you can make sure something like that never happens again.

Alright. Good.

So then, what exactly do you want to know?

Tell you about my home? Well, I guess easing into it's the best way to go.

Imagine an island, sitting pretty just above the equator. Lush… warm… beautiful. Beaches that shine like Bondi all year round, clear blue skies you can lose yourself in, and a gentle breeze that just… eases you. They'll tell you it's an island but it's easily the size of a small country. Was it? Hell I don't know; I wasn't really into politics. When I lived there I just lived for the next day, living it up as best I could.

I lived in Elspeth city; that's the one by the airport, or twenty miles or so from it at any rate. You ever been to Melbourne? Or Sydney? What did you think of the place? Yeah. That's what I thought too. Sleek, new architecture, barely a single brick in sight; feels like another goddamn world compared to places like New York or London.

Anyway, imagine three places like that. Three. One slap bang in the centre – by the airport as I said – the rest sitting pretty on the coastline, with the two major ports. New Rynns city to the south, and Faraquay in the… where was it? Ummm… ah! The north-east! That's it. Plenty of other places around the island too, towns, villages and the like, but those three places were where the action was. You wanted anything – and I mean _anything_ – you went to one of the Big Three.

Sorry, had to take a gulp. Digging into my memories like this – stuff I'd rather forget – going to need some alcohol. You want – no? Suit yourself.

Anyway, the cities were magnificent to see; truly, truly magnificent, but for those who were more naturally-inclined there were places in the north-west which lay in the tropical rainforest. Roads set up ensured that travel was easy, and while I say the people living there were crazy – what with the bugs and all – some people seemed to love it. At least they did until the logging company set up shop in the south-western quadrant – people were moving in and we didn't have nearly enough homes for them all so people in power made plans to expand down thataways.

Heh. Now I think about it the outbreak probably scuppered that little plan real good.

Anyway, me and my family, we lived on that island – in Elspeth – for a good long time. Then… then…

I heard it was 'Grant and Glukhovsy' that were responsible… you know? Another pharmaceutical company; just another one that rode the wave of Umbrella's collapse more than a decade ago. I read that they got their hands on some Umbrella specimens. Goddamn parasites. You'd think people would learn from Raccoon City but no, someone thinks there's some fucking money in that shit and they never fucking _think _how looking at… at shit like _that_ will affect the world around it…

You're goddamn right it was! My mother? I watched her throat get opened up by some fucking skinless, long-tongued freak of nature! My father? I didn't see what happened to him, buried under all those fucking cannibals but I sure am thankful I couldn't… the way he… the way he _screamed…_ oh Jesus…

Elinor; the love of my life… she was… no. No she wasn't goddamnit! She was killed but it wasn't one of the cannibals, or the tongue fuckers, the zombified animals, or even the fucking gorilla things they dropped in the cities and towns to silence us! No! It was… it was some fucking ghoul! Some fucker dressed all in black! Gas-masked asshole and his unit equipped for a goddamn _warzone!_ All we were trying to do was get to the boats and they goddamn shot her… they executed her like…

I'm sorry. I'm sorry but I can't… I just… can't anymore.

/_end of Audio Log_


	2. Audio log: PDF Pvt McGuire

**Hello again. Felt like typing something up so I thought I'd do something similar to what I did beforehand. Thinking about it I'll probably make these logs a thing, something extra to read after the main event.**

**On another note we have two more slots open for the group. Those sure went by quick.**

**-x-**

_Extract from Pelanoi Defence Force Private McGuire_

Hey. How's my two favourite girls?

Really? _Really, _oh baby daddy's so proud of you. Good girl. Tell mommy you get an extra ten dollars in your allowance this weekend okay?

Now what's this your mother said you wanted to show me then Helen? A dog? I should've guessed… well alright if you promise to take care of him yourself. What's the little fella's name then? Toby? Toby. Well tell Toby I'll be bringing something back for him too when my rotation ends in… hold on…

Uh girls? Sorry but daddy's going to have to cut this short. No, no, nothing to worry about. Tell mommy I'm still coming home tonight. Gotta go. I love you.

_Extract fast-forwards, time measurement sets this portion roughly two hours after first excerpt._

This is nuts. My rotation ends in thirty goddamn seconds and we get the order to deploy; life's fuckin' unfair.

Well if I'd known _that _smartass I'd have stayed in college, family tradition be fucked. There's no point in doing this anymore. All we do is drill, the odd training exercise and polish our boots. There's nothing to fight out here; this place is _paradise! _Even Al Qaeda loves it here! No, my point is that this place is as safe as safe can be – we don't _need_ a Defence Force – the Police and the other Law Enforcement branches can handle things fine, we just sit here and look pretty for the cameras.

Hahaha! You said it Campbell – easiest damn paycheck on Earth is what it is! It'd be almost worth it if it weren't for the Gunny screaming in your ears at the crack of dawn every day.

Huh? Alright.

…

Go! Go! Go!

…

What the fuck? Yeah, no shit it's a riot Campbell I just want to know what the hell _we're_ doing out here for it.

– a loud voice addresses the Private and his fire team –

Yes sir!

…

Hey! Hey you there! Yes you ma'am. Sorry, but we've got orders to cordon the area, I need you to keep away from this part of town, probably a good idea to go back to your own place and ride this out. What? I'm sorry _what?_ Miss… Sorry? With all due respect Miss Straum, are you fucking high? Hey. Hey! I said – no. No. Sorry ma'am, poor choice of words I admit, but none of it changes the fact that you and everyone else needs to clear out of this part of town. No sir I don't know how long it'll –

– screaming and shouts can be heard in the background, close by, a short burst of gunfire quickly follows –

_Jesus what the fuck?_

Evans? What the hell happened man? What's – biting? What, he _bit_ you? What the hell – oh shit, Campbell _behind you!_

– more gunfire extremely close by, it's safe to assume the weapon discharged is the Privates' –

Holy… holy shit, holy shit… I just – I just ki–

– the distinctive noise of a man throwing up fills the speakers –

Oh fuck. Ohhh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. What the shit is going on here.

– a piercing shriek of pain precedes more panicked screams –

Evans? Evans! Hey what the hell are you doing? Get off him! Oh shit! Help me! Get him off me he's fucking crazy! Jesus! _Fuck!_

– a distinctive crack of bone can be heard, and the Private's breathing calms down –

Shit, Campbell you just saved my – hey, you're not… thanks, kid. What's your name? Kit? Nice name. Is he… shit… goddamnit what the hell happened to him? He was fine a minute ago what the hell happened?

No, no kid I'm… I'm fine just a little… just a little rattled that's all. Thanks again. But really, you should get out of here. I don't know kid, just… anywhere but here, okay? Good. Thanks kid; I think I'm gonna need it.

_Extract fast forwards again, time measurement places this part roughly an hour following the previous entry._

– staccato gunfire can be heard regularly in the background, along with wailing sirens and panicked screams. The gunfire suddenly rises in volume before ceasing –

Shit. Shit, shit, shit what the hell. That guy took an entire mag before he dropped. Something bad's going on here, something really bad. Oh yeah! Cause I'm _really _fucking worried about my paycheck now! I need to call Kat and the girls…

Yeah. Yeah you're right Campbell, they're a smart bunch. Yeah they're probably on their way to my folks right about now… thanks ma– woahwoah_woah!_

– a deafening crash blocks all other noise, after the din recedes the Private can be heard coughing and spluttering –

Cam – hack – Campbell! Where are you? Campbell! Tommy! Tom–

Oh Christ…

Oh Jesus, no, no Campbell, no. No, no, no, no, nononono…

Shit…

– a moan can be heard close by –

Who's there?

– the moan grows in volume, joined by another, and another, and another –

Oh Jesus…

Hey! Stay back! I'm warning you! All of you! What's wrong with you? Stay _back!_

– the groans are now loud enough to drown out the background din –

Stay _baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!_

– the Private opens up with his weapon, screaming alongside its explosive chatter, after a matter of seconds it stops and the moans return in force –

What the hell _are _you?

– the moans turn into snarls and an agonised cry can be heard for a moment before being snuffed out in an instant, replaced by a grisly munching and tearing –

/_end of excerpt_


	3. EPD Interrogation: TE Connors

**Another day, another log. My net has been driving me up the wall, disconnecting every twenty minutes or so, made it rather difficult to check up on things here. Hopefully it'll all get sorted tomorrow.**

**Anyone who's checked my profile recently will notice that this is a log pertaining to one of the characters in the group of survivors. I plan on doing at least one log for each character in time, though when this particular character was submitted, I had a flash of inspiration – I knew **_**exactly**_** what I could do here.**

**UPDATE: Character submission for the main group of survivors is now closed. Any further submissions will be given a cameo appearance later on in the story. More than that I can't promise.**

**Cheers.**

**-X-**

_Extract from Elspeth Police Department Interrogation. Subject: Tiffany Elizabeth Connors_

– A door opens and shuts, echoing loudly –

KELHAM: Ma'am.

T.E. CONNORS: Officer.

KELHAM: It's Inspector, actually.

T.E. CONNORS: My apologies Inspector, any chance of me finding out exactly why you dragged me here?

KELHAM: Matter of security ma'am I assure you. When we pulled your file off the database, you gave a number of our guys quite the scare.

T.E. CONNORS: Tell them I'll buy them all a round to make up for it.

– KELHAM chuckles humourlessly –

KELHAM: Afraid that's not quite going to cut it. You see, we run a pretty tight ship here, crime rate's never been lower, our citizens are happy, healthy and _safe_.

T.E. CONNORS: I'm truly happy to hear that. But what does that have to do with –

– KELHAM slams his hands on the table suddenly –

KELHAM: (shouting) I want to know exactly what the hell a goddamn _spook _is doing in my city! A BSAA one at that! I've done my homework; damn near everywhere they've gone, something ends up in ruins and I will be _damned _if I let it happen here, you understand me?

…

T.E. CONNORS: Spook? That's a new one on me.

KELHAM: (measuredly) Don't test me… ma'am. Now, tell us exactly why someone with frequent BSAA contact is walking around my city. Tell me quick and I promise I'll –

– the door opens suddenly –

KELHAM: Wha–? Sergei? What are you doing? I'm in the middle of –

SERGEI: What you're doing Kelham is leaving. Chief's put me in charge of this little… 'chat' I believe you called it? He also wants to speak to you. Now.

…

– KELHAM mutters darkly under his breath, before leaving the room –

SERGEI: Don't mind him, he's just –

T.E. CONNORS: Afraid? It's alright, I understand.

SERGEI: I was going to say an asshole but that's probably part and partial. Smoke?

T.E. CONNORS: No. Thanks anyway.

SERGEI: It's always the innocent who refuse that offer… every time. You know that?

T.E. CONNORS: Can't imagine I would.

SERGEI: Fair cop, if you'll excuse the pun. Anyway, much as I'd enjoy chatting with a pretty young thing like yourself I really do need to ask: what is a BSAA –

T.E. CONNORS: Spook?

SERGEI: Alright, what is a BSAA spook doing in this city? We received no word from anyone. You don't look like you're here on vacation, which – as I'm sure my recently departed friend told you – is giving our guys some rumour material.

T.E. CONNORS: It's… personal sir.

SERGEI: Just Sergei will be fine, I'm really not all that fussed. But I am going to need a better explanation than that.

…

T.E. CONNORS: You see this scar here?

SERGEI: Kind of difficult to miss – not that it diminishes your appearance of course, and I'm not just saying that to be nice either.

– CONNORS chuckles appreciatively –

T.E. CONNORS: Thank you… Sergei. Anyway, I got this in a little sparring accident with a friend of mine.

SERGEI: Sparring as in boxing? Judo?

T.E. CONNORS: Sparring as in: full contact sparring. US Marine Corps. Three Years.

SERGEI: You don't say? How old are you – if you don't mind me asking?

T.E. CONNORS: Twenty-one.

– SERGEI whistles –

SERGEI: I'm impressed. And a Captain already? You move fast.

T.E. CONNORS: My dad taught me to be the best I could be. He was a Leatherneck too, pretty far up on the food chain.

SERGEI: Was he now? Well I suppose your dad and mine have something in common then.

T.E. CONNORS: He was an officer?

SERGEI: No, no. He taught me to strive for everything too. 'Leave no option unexplored, push ahead full throttle' and all that… suppose it has some merit to it though; got me here after all.

…

SERGEI: So what exactly did all of that have to do with your presence here then, Miss Connors?

T.E. CONNORs: … my dad's the reason I'm here.

SERGEI: Family reunion?

T.E. CONNORS: If only. He's been dead for several years now, not long after I started Basic Training.

SERGEI: I get a feeling I'm not going to like what you're about to tell me.

T.E. CONNORS: Bio-terrorist attack.

SERGEI: … I'm sorry.

T.E. CONNORS: It's fine. But thanks.

SERGEI: So, your trip here has something to do with this attack. What?

…

SERGEI: I don't like threatening or pressuring people but I can promise you that you won't leave this station until you tell us what's going on. If it's something –

T.E. CONNORS: A friend of mine told me the man responsible for the attack is here in Pelanoi.

…

SERGEI: Jesus… and… and what exactly were you going to do when you found him?

T.E. CONNORS: I'm going to bring him in myself that's what.

SERGEI: This man… what is his name?

T.E. CONNORS: I don't know. I've got a face and a rough location: somewhere in the southern districts of Elspeth – which is where I was going until Kelham took me in.

– SERGEI sighs heavily –

SERGEI: You understand of course that this is now no longer just your problem right?

…

SERGEI: If there's a suspected terrorist walking around town we need to bring him in, no doubt about it. I'm sorry. I really am, but you need to let us handle this now. If you want, I can let –

– an alarm bell suddenly blares into life –

SERGEI: What the hell?

– a walkie talkie in SERGEI's inside pocket begins spouting all kinds of unintelligible noise, SERGEI fumbles with the device, listening intently –

SERGEI: Something's come up. Something big.

T.E. CONNORS: Need a hand?

…

SERGEI: I'm going to catch hell for this… fine, follow me. Your skillset might come in handy. Let's go.

– CONNORS stands up and makes for the door with SERGEI –

T.E. CONNORS: So what's the situation?

SERGEI: Riot from the sound of it. I don't understand, it's so sudden, never…

– the pair leave the room, voices quickly fading into the distance –

/_end of excerpt_


	4. A Meeting of Minds

**And here it is you happy people; what this whole thing was about.**

**The Pelanoi Account**

**Chapter One: A Meeting of Minds**

The city screamed.

It had been a mere day since the first riots broke out and already it appeared as though hell had risen to Earth. Everywhere a person looked there were scenes of indescribable carnage.

In Elspeth city, monsters roamed the streets. And they were hungry.

A young woman pounded down a sidewalk, ducking and weaving her way through the lurching forms of things that had no right to exist, but haunted the city anyway. Her long brown ponytail was matted with blood, and she clutched an FN Herstal FNP-9 handgun tightly in both hands, brandishing it at the closest groaning threat whenever she wasn't focused on manoeuvring through the cluttered streets.

She cleared a large group of infected stumbling out of a burning bus, her hair standing on end at the sudden rise in temperature, before dashing around a corner –

– and colliding with something.

Yelping in surprise, she placed an arm on her aggressor's torso, prepared to push away as hard as she could. She stopped when the person on top of her spoke:

'Sorry. You okay?'

Raising her gaze, she felt her cheeks flush as she took in the appearance of a rather handsome young man. She averted her gaze for a moment, reeling in her thoughts quickly; now was hardly the time to admire the view.

'Ordinarily I'd ask for your number and address…' she started. A groan from a group of undead gave her pause.

'But I don't think this counts as ordinary.' The young man shook his head solemnly before quickly forcing himself up, extending his hand to her. She didn't pause, taking his hand immediately and allowing him to help her to her feet. A quick survey told the pair that a group of undead had been following the young man and that in the time of their collision they had caught up.

'Through there!' he called, pointing towards a gap. Without hesitation the pair sped through, the grasping hands of the dead never more than an inch away, until finally they made it. Their situation was hardly improved though; crashed vehicles and the shuffling dead littered the street, wailing a dreadful concert that grated on the senses.

A girl stumbled out from a looted store, one of the undead clawing and grasping at her, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground. The girl shrieked as the foul monster snapped at her, its bites drawing steadily closer to her succulent flesh.

A bullet blew out the back of its neck, severing the spinal cord and the dead man's body collapsed on top of the poor girl, its head still snarling and snapping. The girl pushed herself out from under it, turning to her rescuers. Her face immediately lit up when she took the two of them in.

'Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you'd not come along then… then…' the older woman silenced her with a gesture.

'Thank us when we're out of this. There are still plenty more where he came from.' She motioned to the snapping corpse, grimacing in revulsion.

'Right. Right,' She nodded 'my name's Sydney. Sydney Henry.'

'Tiffany Connors.' The young woman replied.

'Kit Matthews,' the man said 'and I don't think here's the best place for introductions.'

'You're right. Let's keep going. Either of you two got a weapon?' Tiffany asked.

Sydney hefted a baseball bat that she had dropped when the dead man had tackled her. Kit brandished a crowbar.

'Okay. I'll lead, you two watch the sides. I don't think I need to tell you not to let them get close right?' she asked, her gaze lingering briefly on Sydney, who nodded glumly.

'Perfect. Stay together and we'll make it through this; let's go.' Without pausing, she raised her own weapon and started off down the street, the other two immediately behind her. She rounded a car and lost her footing as something clutched her boot, bringing her down. Her gun flew from her grasp and clattered away, out of reach. Glancing down, she saw that one of the undead – its lower half a terrible ruin of burnt, torn flesh – had taken a firm hold and was dragging itself forward, eager for a meal.

She lashed out with a kick, shattering its jaw, but it held tight and continued pulling itself along. Then, suddenly, Kit appeared. He had seen her go down and assumed something had happened, vaulting over the car with his weapon raised. No sooner had he landed, he pivoted on the ball of one foot and spun, using his momentum to bring even more force into a vicious swing of his weapon, caving the creature's skull in, ending the threat.

Breathing a sigh, Tiffany finally kicked herself free from the dead person's death grip and retrieved her weapon. Nodding in thanks to Kit, who shrugged as if to say 'it was nothing'. They caught up with Sydney, who had been standing watch, growing steadily more edgy as the dead shambled closer. The blonde was much relieved to see the two still breathing and the trio quickly continued on.

They rounded the street and into fresh horrors. As always, the dead were ever present. A column of abandoned military vehicles told them that a convoy had likely met a grisly end there, and the dead swarmed around, some peeling off towards the three survivors as they took notice of them. Turning the other direction, they followed the street upwards, signs indicating that the National History Museum was only a left turn away. Tiffany turned to the other two.

'Might be a good place to catch our bearings.'

'I'd really like to catch a breather… and to get off these streets.' Sydney nodded in affirmation.

'Plenty of ways to get in,' Kit frowned, 'though I guess that means plenty of ways to leave too. Alright.' He finally acceded.

The trip to the museum was thankfully uneventful; the few dead encountered on the way too busy feasting on the numerous bodies that now dotted the once beautiful city to bother with the group of three. The building itself was entirely structured out of glass with a metal frame holding it together. It looked not entirely unlike England's Millennium Dome.

They entered through an open side door, coming across a lobby. Sheets of loose paper littered the floor, as well as scattered blood stains. Three sets of double doors presented themselves, one of which was locked, and a disturbing trail of blood led underneath another. Tiffany motioned for everybody to move quietly, before heading for the last double door.

The trio found themselves in what appeared to be a cafeteria, chairs were scattered in what looked like a hasty barricade. Something clattered in the kitchen and the group froze. A minute passed. Two minutes. Three, before Tiffany nodded in the direction of the kitchen to Kit, motioning for Sydney to stay behind and watch the door. The two young adults crept slowly, cautiously over the barricade of chairs and into the kitchen, Tiffany holding up a hand and counting down from three.

Two.

One.

Taking a breath, the two rounded the corner, handgun raised and crowbar primed for a strike.

They came face to face with no less than three guns, two automatics, one Smith & Wesson revolver. Tiffany raised her hands cautiously, Kit lowered his crowbar.

'Sorry if we startled you. We thought –'

'Yeah. Likewise.' One of the three women replied, lowering her weapon. The others followed suit.

'It's okay Sydney, come on over!' Tiffany called as Kit leaned against a stove.

'Who are you guys?' a slender brunette with blue eyes and sunken cheeks that gave her a haunted look, wearing a plain, tan T and light jeans asked. She appeared a bit older than the other two in her group, and the most talkative.

'I'm Tiffany Connors.' Tiffany answered first, establishing herself as de facto leader of her particular trio.

'Kit Matthews.'

'I'm Sydney Henry.' The college student said as she hurried over, relaxing a fraction at the additional human contact.

'Yourselves?' Tiffany asked.

'Cassidy Straum.' The older woman replied.

'Sema Smith,' said a Turkish woman, though Tiffany noticed that she wasn't quite as dark as many like her were. One of her parents was probably a mixed breed, so to speak. She seemed nervous, and even the appearance of the young Sydney hadn't seemed to dim it in the slightest.

'Ellen Rodd,' said the last member of their group, a Canadian. Unlike Cassidy; who seemed exhausted, and Sema; who appeared tired, Ellen seemed almost cold, as if this entire situation were mere routine to her.

'Well, Cassidy, Sema, Ellen… nice to meet you.' Cassidy gave a courteous smile, Sema nodded twice, Ellen merely grunted in a very unladylike manner.

A crash from inside the building broke the introduction up and almost immediately, four guns were turned on the direction it had come from. Another pair of double doors sat at the opposite end of the cafeteria, leading directly into the massive central chamber of the museum. Whatever had made the racket was coming from there.

Tiffany glanced at the three women and their respective arms.

'You girls do know how to handle those, right?' she asked cautiously.

'I've taken a few shots before.' Cassidy answered.

'Not really,' Sema confessed 'guess I'll get some practice in a minute though,' she added humourlessly.

'Don't worry Barbie; I won't shoot you in the foot.' Replied Ellen sardonically, her voice seemed to lower the temperature around her by several degrees.

'Guess me and Sydney are on backup detail then.' Kit murmured, and clutched his crowbar tight, while Sydney mimicked his action with her bat.

The crashing continued; it was definitely getting closer. The four women tightened the grip on their weapons and kept their eyes focused on the doors.

Suddenly they flew open. Sema squeezed the trigger of her weapon in surprise, the bullet punching through the glass of a window. The others displayed more restraint, tracking the mass that had barged into the room, but keeping their own fingers off the trigger until it started snarling at them.

A muffled shout told the people assembled that it was a living person, and further inspection revealed that said person was under attack from a member of the undead, only just keeping it at bay with a fire axe. Without hesitation, Kit leapt forward, vaulting over a kitchen counter and over chairs and tables towards the downed pair. Another figure appeared in the doorway; a male wielding a boat paddle.

Without any sort of warning, he raised the paddle and brought it down sharply on the dead man's head, bloodying the back of its head but not downing it. He raised it again, but this time he swept it sideways, into the ribs of the dead man, succeeding in dislodging it. Taking advantage of its weakness, the man underneath rolled over, reversing the roles before raising his fire axe and slamming it into the dead man's skull, silencing it permanently.

The two men remained still for a moment, simply staring at the now still corpse, until finally the man with the axe pulled his weapon free and stood up.

'You said it Marcus; close call.' The man chuckled bitterly, then raised his head and took notice of the people occupying the cafeteria; first Kit – who had stopped around five metres away, unsure of the second man's presence – and then the four women with their guns.

'Who called the Amazon Brigade?' the man wondered aloud. At the very least, he didn't appear hostile, neither did the other man, who cast his eyes over the assorted women and whistled.

'Hey! Ethan! Randolf!' a woman's voice called 'Wait up! I'm almost –' she stopped as she entered the cafeteria, the snub nosed pistol falling to her side as she took in the scenario in the cafeteria.

'Oh…' she said, blankly.

The two men appeared to be in their early twenties, the one with the axe standing a little taller than the other. Bandages were wrapped around his head and concealed his left eye, a light stubble was growing on his chin and his faded blue T and tan cargo shorts were specked with blood and grime. The other man possessed a receding, dark hairline – unusual considering his relatively young age – a strong aquiline nose and deep blue eyes which would undoubtedly have given him a much more regal appearance had he not been leering unpleasantly at the women in the cafeteria. Like his partner; his snot-green short sleeved shirt and tight looking jeans were specked with blood.

The woman by comparison appeared much fresher; with a face like that of a model, and pretty, dark skin, with long black hair tied in a bun. Her tank top and jeans looked almost fresh out of the store; clearly she was either very good at hiding, or just lucky. Anyone paying closer attention would have noticed that her eyes lit up like street lamps when she laid eyes on Kit.

Attempting to diffuse the awkward situation and regain some measure of control, Tiffany broke the silence first.

'Hi. I guess you were the people who –'

Interruptions appeared to be a common theme in Elspeth on this particular day, as a crash from the same direction the three newcomers had arrived reverberated throughout the building, followed by the chillingly familiar groaning of the walking dead.

'That doesn't sound good,' Tiffany grimaced and retreated towards the entrance she, Kit and Sydney had entered through, 'come on, this way!'

'Why should we follow you?' Ellen asked distrustfully. The new girl appeared to share her sentiments.

'Because those things clearly heard us and are probably on their way to tear us all limb from limb. If you know a quicker way out let's hear it now, otherwise; we need to get going. Stat.'

Ellen appeared to mull it over in her head briefly before grumbling under her breath and moving towards the exit with Tiffany. The rest of them followed suit, including the newcomers.

The group didn't have time to stop outside, the dead milled around; drawn to the commotion emanating from within the museum. Several caught sight of the living, and stumbled after them, intent on sating their hunger.

Taking stock of the situation, Tiffany realised that there were far more of the undead than she had estimated there would be. If something wasn't done the group was in very real danger of being surrounded by a wall of rotting flesh. Spying a multi-level parking garage, she pointed towards it.

'In there! We'll lose them there!' She yelled over the constant groaning of the dead.

Bringing up her gun, she sighted the closest threat and squeezed the trigger. A neat, little hole appeared in the creature's forehead and it dropped to the ground with a satisfying _thud_. Ellen took aim with her own weapon and fired. The shot clipped the shoulder of one of the dead blocking the way, and the woman's lip curled into a snarl at the wasted shot. She didn't miss the second time.

Kit bounded on ahead, laying into any of the dead that got too close with his crowbar, though he took the time every so often to glance over his shoulder to check on Sydney, who huddled in the centre of the group, looking rather vulnerable and unsure of herself. The two other men – Randolf and Ethan if she recalled – assisted in clearing the way, the women kept their sights on the flanks, only daring to fire if one of the approaching monsters got truly too close for comfort.

Finally they made it inside. Kit and Randolf hurriedly pushed a car so that it sat awkwardly in the entranceway. It would only slow the onslaught down at best, but it bought the group time to take stock of their immediate situation, as well as a chance to catch their collective breaths.

'So…' Cassidy was the first to speak up 'anyone got any ideas?' She glanced at the people around her, many of whom were warily eyeing the newcomers. Sighing, she turned to them.

'So, who are you guys then?' she asked.

'Randolf Wallace,' said the man in the ugly green T, a distinctive twang voice marking him out as Australian 'and I gotta say it is such a _pleasure _to see so many other people alive.' Cassidy frowned as she noticed his gaze lingered on the women in the group, and made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

'Leah Bartford,' replied the young woman, her eyes still on Kit, though she turned away when the object of her attention focused on her group.

'None of your damn business,' the last man growled, then, appearing distracted, turned as if talking to someone only he could see, 'fuck that Marcus I don't know who these people are. For all I know they'll put a bullet in the back of our heads soon as they get the chance.' The group collectively raised a brow at his behaviour, even Leah and Randolf appeared surprised. Until, finally he sighed aloud in frustration.

'Fine! You win. Guess dying in company's better than dying alone. I'm Ethan Meyer,' he finally responded, then, seeing the looks he was getting, asked; 'What?' seeing that no one answered, he threw his arms up and began muttering under his breath.

'Psycho.' Ellen murmured. Ethan rounded on her in an instant.

'You judging me ice queen? Get the fuck off that high horse of yours and why don't you play around in the muck with the rest of us,' he appeared distracted again, 'No Marcus, shut the fuck up I am not –'

Ellen appeared ready to retort when Kit suddenly placed himself in between the two. Cassidy and Tiffany appeared ready to intervene as well.

'This isn't helping us,' Kit spoke, 'right now we have much bigger concerns. Those monsters outside aren't going to wait on us. We need to find a place to hunker down, get our bearings and work out a plan, alright?' Ethan fixed Kit with a frown before fidgeting impatiently and appearing to back down. Ellen squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and when she reopened them she practically exuberated calm.

'Good,' Kit appeared to lighten at the apparent solution to what could have proven to be a nasty argument, 'anyone got any ideas then?'

The group stood in thought, Sydney piped up almost immediately.

'How about the Police Station? Surely that'd be secure!' she suggested optimistically. Cassidy smiled at the girl.

'Bad idea,' Randolf dismissed with a wave of his hand, 'that was the first place everyone ran to. Chances are it's a charnel house now. All it'd take is one bite and goodbye Coppers.'

'What do you mean?' Sydney asked, her youthful features etched with curiosity.

'It's how this thing spreads. What, you mean to tell me you've not noticed how most of these things look like last night's casserole?' Randolf scoffed. Sydney's face fell, and Cassidy shot Randolf a glare before moving closer to the girl.

'How about the subway then?' Leah suggested.

'Where it's dark and cramped?' Ellen said, pointedly 'I don't think so.' Ethan muttered under his breath and Ellen shot him a piercing glare.

'Hey…' Randolf spoke up suddenly, 'what about the Elspeth Mall?'

'A mall?' Sema asked, incredulous at his suggestion, 'are you serious?'

'That could actually work.' Ethan murmured in agreement.

'Okay, sorry to butt in but do you two know something we don't?' Tiffany interjected. The two men shared a look, then glanced back at the rest of the group.

'What, you mean you've never been?' Randolf asked, sounding surprised.

'You all tourists or something?' Ethan wondered aloud, his eyes shining with what could very well be amusement.

'Just tell us what the big deal is already.' Ellen demanded.

'Oh man are you guys in for a treat; the Elspeth Mall is built like a bleeding fortress! Big, heavy iron fences, solid, bullet-proof glass windows, the best security measures Grant and Glukhovsky could buy! Worked like a charm; ain't any burglar's ever broken into that place I can tell you.' Randolf explained, Ethan nodding along with every syllable.

Cassidy appeared to perk up suddenly.

'Sorry, did you just say Grant and Glukhovsky – as in the pharmaceutical company?' she asked.

'Yeah. Why? You work for them or something?' Randolf asked, appraising the older woman.

'No. No, but…' she appeared deep in thought for a moment before finally deciding, 'I think we should go.'

'It does sound pretty good…' Leah said.

'I don't know,' said Ellen, 'it's a mall right? So it'd be open to the general public? What if it's already crawling with those creatures?'

'They shut it a few days ago for the festival – well… there was supposed to be a festival, can't imagine it'd be too hot right now.' Randolf dismissed her worries.

'Festival? What festival?' Sydney asked.

'If I remember right, it's a week-long celebration of how the island gained independence from the Spanish Empire more than a hundred years ago or something.' Randolf noted, though he seemed uncertain of his explanation. He looked to Ethan for confirmation but the other man wasn't paying attention, his gaze was focused on the entrance to the parking lot and the growing press of undead who now appeared to be shunting the car out of their path.

Noticing the approaching danger, Tiffany took charge once more.

'So you're saying it's safe, secure and there should be no one inside right?' Randolf and Ethan nodded in confirmation.

'Wait,' said Leah, 'If the building is locked then how are we going to get inside?' she asked. Randolf's face fell. Ethan however had a solution.

'Looks like the balls in my court now,' he said 'I know a way in. There's a side door, shouldn't be anyone who knows about it, there's a key hidden in a little nook that opens it.'

'That's great, but how do you know about it?' Tiffany asked him curiously.

Ethan appeared uncomfortable for a moment, as if wrestling with a tough choice.

'Because me and Marcus built it in.' He said, finally. Several of the group took note of the name, recognising it from Ethan's 'moment' earlier.

'Me and him worked for a construction company for a while when G&G commissioned us to build the place. Started as a joke between the two of us, then it just kind of… escalated.' He explained, catching the looks on their faces, though misinterpreting them entirely.

'Alright, seems like we have a plan. No time to waste; we have to go now.' Tiffany called as the dead finally removed the obstacle and poured into the parking garage.

The group fled through the building, slipping out through a back entrance. From there they took a roundabout route, making their way through deserted back alleys, encountering much fewer of the undead than if they had taken the more direct path to the closed mall.

Finally, after ten minutes' walk, they arrived at their destination. Ethan motioned for the group to follow him around the side of the mall, beyond a loading bay until they reached what looked like a very old, handle-less door. It looked remarkably out of place when compared with the relatively 'new' look to the rest of the structure, with its smooth, beige wall. By comparison the door seemed almost like it had been lifted from a haunted house on a dark hill somewhere in Eastern Europe.

Ethan crouched down and fiddled with what appeared to be a rabbit hole (though none of the group had ever actually observed rabbits on the island). Eventually he pulled his hand up, clutching a small, rusting key. Ethan frowned at its condition, then inserted the key into the lock and turned it slowly. His face softened as the lock 'clicked' and he pushed the door open.

'Yeah… just like old times Mark…' he murmured as he picked up his axe and pushed forwards, the rest of the group following him in.

As Randolf and Ethan had promised, the mall was entirely empty. Stores and a couple of kiosks lined the first floor, their glass windows displaying all manner of goods; from children's toys to computer hardware, to furniture, and much, much more.

'Barricade the main entrances, that back door and put ourselves near the food and we could probably live here,' Tiffany said aloud, one hand on her hip, the other cupping her chin thoughtfully as she drew up a mental map and considered a number of possibilities before turning towards Randolf and Ethan, impressed, 'nice job guys.'

'You want to thank me, meet me in the guys' bathroom in ten minutes.' Randolf deadpanned.

Tiffany laughed aloud at the Australian, but then realised that he was entirely serious and narrowed her eyes at him before turning her gaze on Ethan, who took a defensive step back and folded his arms across his chest.

'Don't lump me in with that horn dog,' then he scratched the back of his head and frowned, 'shut up Marcus, it was _one _time and we were both drunk.' He paused, as if waiting for more, before turning away from the group and heading off deeper into the mall.

'I'm going to find a place to sit down and eat.' He said to no one in particular.

'That sounds like a good idea,' said Leah, 'I don't know about the rest of you but I am _starving_.'

A check of the time revealed that it was almost six in the evening. A pair of growling stomachs confirmed that the rest of the group also felt it was time for a bite.

'Hey, if we get some wood, I can start a fire so we can cook some food,' suggested Sydney 'my brother was in the boy scouts, he taught me how to do it – said it'd come in useful someday.'

Debatable as the idea was, some hot food sounded most welcome to the assorted survivors. While there wasn't much in the way of wood, there was paper, and Sydney quickly had a fire going in the middle of the mall.

'You guys sure this is a good idea?' Sema asked, nervously surveying the interior of the mall.

'If it starts to spread, just stamp on it,' Sydney assured her 'we've got enough people, it won't take that long to do it.'

'What about smoke?' the Turkish woman enquired.

'It's getting dark; a few blocks of the city have lost power. In the pitch black it shouldn't be too visible unless someone _really _looks.' Tiffany chipped in as she pulled a can of beef from her backpack. Those among the group with cookable foodstuffs also retrieved them. Randolf reached inside his own backpack and pulled out several severely deformed candy bars, frowning at them for a moment before taking the wrapping off and devouring them.

'That can't be too healthy for you,' Sydney observed 'you got anything else in that pack? Besides candy bars I mean?'

Randolf glanced at her before turning his gaze back inside his pack, then back to Sydney before zipping his pack shut.

'No.' he replied, though Sydney didn't appear convinced.

He sighed, picked himself up and walked off, 'If you'll excuse me, I really need to take a drag.' He said, pulling a packet of cigarettes from a pocket. Ellen finished her own meal before picking out a packet of her own and taking off in a similar direction.

'Well...' Tiffany started, as she observed the two set off further into the building 'I guess I can't blame her for not going off alone with that guy. I wish someone could keep an eye on them though.'

'Why's that?' Kit asked 'it looks like those two were telling it true so far; no one's here. So chances are none of those crazy cannibals are either.'

'Those are just the start.' Tiffany murmured, drawing a glance from Kit and those around her.

'What, are you saying you've seen something like this before?' Cassidy asked her.

'I've read about them, heard about it from some in the BSAA, even took part in an operation or two myself,' Tiffany began before craning her head upwards and drawing her knees closer to her body, 'but nothing like this… never.' She squeezed her eyes shut, Kit, not sure of what to say, simply put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Tiffany gave him a grateful smile.

Leah cleared her throat loudly and Kit lowered his hand, while Tiffany shot her an irritated glare. The rest of the group suddenly found their meals very interesting all of a sudden. Crossing her legs, she sighed and leant forward so the rest of the group could hear her speak.

'I was chasing someone with connections to a bio-terrorist attack that took place some years back. It… killed my father. A friend of mine with a contact or two told me that he was spotted in Pelanoi. Here.' The rest of the group raised a collective gasp at the revelation.

'You mean… this is a terrorist attack?' Sydney asked, her voice quivering, 'they can… they can do things like this everywhere?' her voice was a whisper.

'Probably…' Tiffany sighed, holding her head in her palm. She seemed tired, exhausted even.

'I thought he was just here to lay low, that I'd have time to locate and bring him down. If I'd known that he had… shit… I should've moved faster, _been_ faster. I could have prevented this if I'd only known that –'

'But you didn't,' Kit interrupted 'you didn't know. No one could have seen this coming, and you shouldn't be blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Focus on staying alive, focus on helping the rest of us stay alive. It's all we can do for ourselves now.'

Whether or not his words had soothed her uneasy conscience Kit wasn't sure, though the Marine seemed to relax a fraction, which he supposed was a decent result.

'Thanks Kit.' She said, her eyes still shut, but the corner of her lips twitched in another easy smile. Kit gave her a slight smile in return and nodded encouragingly.

Soon the three from earlier reappeared, Ethan took a glance at the fire and frowned.

'Could have told me you were fixing up a cooker, would've saved me eating cold, canned meat. Blech.' He made a face as he recalled the taste.

Ellen rolled her eyes, while Randolf held back a few paces, sneaking the odd glance at her ass, apparently very much liking what he saw. Tiffany fixed him with a disapproving stare and eventually he held his hands up in mock surrender and sat himself down, a lecherous grin on his face. She decided then that she'd rather not know exactly what made this person tick; similar decisions were made around the group.

'Probably a better idea to sleep up on the second floor,' Ellen suggested, 'there's not much in the way of convenience stores up there, but it'd probably be safer.'

'Didn't fix you as the caring type,' Ethan sneered. Ellen didn't rise to the bait, instead electing to extend her arm and casually flip him the bird.

'Good idea, if we're all done eating it'd probably be best if we moved now and set up some barricades on the stairwells and the escalators.' Tiffany said as she considered the layout of the second floor. There were no less than three escalators leading to the second floor as well as a large stairwell sitting pretty in the centre of the mall, splitting once it reached the height of the floor and acting as a bridge shoppers could use to cut across and save a few minutes walking.

Fortunately the shops provided the means.

Heavy furniture was lifted and pushed in front of the staircase, serving most effectively. Smaller items blockaded the escalators. Both the bottom and tops were barricaded, the idea being that – should anything disrupt the first set of barricades – the noise would wake the group up, allowing them to prepare either a defence or an escape plan, the secondary barricade giving them extra time to implement their chosen tactic.

The exercise took them the better part of two and a half hours, and it was well into the night by the time they finished.

'You know, once the morning comes we're going to have to check all the food stores for perishables,' Sema advised 'if we don't, it won't just be the smell we'll have to deal with – it's not sanitary, can lead to disease spreading if it gets really out of hand, and with what's going on outside… well…' she didn't need to say more, her point was made.

The group retired for the night inside a home department store, arranging mattresses so that each person was within easy calling distance. The group quickly settled down, catching some rest and collecting their thoughts on an event that would, in all likelihood, haunt them to their graves.

**-X-**

**I still hate writing endings.**

**On another topic I hope you have all enjoyed reading this. To those of you who submitted your own characters; I hope you like how I've portrayed them so far.**

**Comments are appreciated, constructive comments even more so.**

**Cheers**


	5. Evacuation

**Don't suppose anyone here who bought Dragon's Dogma and also has early access to the RE6 demo would be able to tell us if it's any good, would they?**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Two: Evacuation**

Morning came without anything attempting to murder them in the night; for that, Ethan was grateful. If nothing else it meant he actually got some decent sleep for once in his life. He sat up slowly and rubbed his tired eyes, checking on the rest of the group. Everyone appeared to be – no, two were missing; Leah and Ellen. A quick sweep of the home department store confirmed that they weren't inside.

While he didn't particularly care that the two had gone missing, he figured that if something had happened to them, then they weren't nearly as secure as he though they were, which was bad for him too.

'_Don't forget about me.' _Marcus chimed in his head.

_You're not the one who'd go through the horror of dying. _He replied.

'_True enough, but then you know, since I've got experience there maybe I could tell you what to expect.'_

_I'd really rather not know…_

'_First comes the pain – which should be obvious – and I gotta tell you, those zombies should _really _learn to clean their teeth...'_

Ethan frowned at Marcus' chatter, trying to reduce him to white noise in the back of his head as he wandered around the mall looking for possible breaches. The barricades they had set up seemed fine, so unless something had come in through the roof…

Ethan groaned aloud at having forgotten something so obvious and headed towards the rear of the mall. To his growing ire he found the door to the staircase leading to the roof wide open.

_Fantastic._

He went back into the department store and grabbed his axe before trudging back to the roof staircase.

_Alright, let's get this over with._

'_You know, that is the _exact _same thing I thought when that third zombie started munching on my left lung.'_

Ethan cringed and ascended; his axe hefted, ready to either take a quick swing or block anything that tried bulldozing him.

The door to the roof was also open, and Ethan could hear grunts emanating from outside. He crept up cautiously to the doorway and poked his head around…

Ellen and Leah stood on top of the roof, from what Ethan could tell it seemed like they were sparring. Ethan felt himself relax a fraction, and was about to go back downstairs to hunt for some breakfast when sudden footsteps made him turn around. Randolf had come up too, and nodded to Ethan as well as patting him on the shoulder as he made his way out onto the roof.

'Mornin' chuckles.'

He stepped outside and took a deep breath of the cool morning air. The sun even now was creeping over the horizon, bathing the city in a warm, comforting glow. Randolf passed the two warring women, glancing appreciatively as Ellen swayed aside from a quick axe-kick delivered by Leah before stepping up to the edge of the roof and unzipping his fly, before urinating off the top of the roof, craning his head upwards, pure bliss etched upon his face.

'Damn that feels good. Think I forgot to use the bathroom even once yesterday.'

'What are you doing?' Leah shrieked at him.

'What?' Randolf asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement, 'I'm relieving myself.'

'Then go to the guys' room or something! Don't do that here!'

'Nah,' Randolf dismissed, 'besides, I've always wanted to do this.'

While Leah gaped at Randolf, Ellen had taken advantage of her distraction to sneak up behind her back, tapping her lightly on her right shoulder. Leah turned her head to the side, and no sooner had she done so when Ellen lashed out with a leg, sweeping the younger woman off her feet. She planted a foot on top of her and folded her arms, victorious.

'Keep your eyes on your opponent princess,' she told the prone young woman, her tone as frosty as ever. Leah glared up at Ellen, her face red with humiliation.

'I knew it!' Randolf called, Ellen cast her gaze on him, arching an eyebrow.

'Frost queens always like it rough. Every. Single. One.' Ellen didn't react, stepping off of Leah and heading back inside, passing Ethan without so much as a glance before descending the staircase.

Deciding that spending his time up on the roof was now pointless – given that he'd gotten his answers – Ethan followed Ellen back down, wondering which store on the first floor he should try for food first.

**-X-**

Cassidy browsed the pharmacy intently, checking each and every aisle for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. She finally reached the end of the contraceptives aisle and sighed heavily. She cast a glance at the two large, emboldened red Gs that labelled practically every product in the store and took her recording device from her pocket.

'Day six on Pelanoi island,' she spoke into the built-in microphone on the device 'the last day and a half have been… unlike anything I could have imagined. I'd read the reports from the various – and few – survivors from Raccoon City as well as the survivors of similar incidents around the globe but I don't think anything could possibly have prepared me for… this…' she swept her gaze across a bottle of nondescript pills, she picked it up, idly glancing at the label.

'Do not take with alcohol; side effects may include loss of breath, and cessation of respiratory system,' she laughed humourlessly before tossing the bottle away, letting it clatter on the ground and roll away, 'I've been doing background checks on the pharmaceutical company Grant and Glukhovsky for some time now. Like many similar corporations they've boomed since Umbrella's fall all those years ago, though compared to some like Tricell or Wilpharma, they're small time at most. Nonetheless, my list of contacts has told me some… interesting details regarding this fairly average pharmaceutical corporation. Several employees disappearing over the past few months – many of whom were later sighted on this very island. Several accounts of money changing many hands and even a murder or two – the more recent, concerning the British Ambassador in the United States I am all but convinced was staged...' she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing:

'And yet despite all of this I'm now having my doubts. Grant and Gluhovsky are up to something here; of that there is no doubt. Though a recent subject I've affiliated myself with – in the name of survival – insists that she came here chasing a recognised, wanted bio-terrorist. I'm forced to wonder if the current situation is perhaps not a result of another unrestrained pharmaceutical corporation and is instead the act of a particular individual… but then that raises a thousand other questions: how did he get here if he's a wanted man? Did someone smuggle him in? Did this party give him the T-Virus, thereby enabling this atrocity to come about? How has this spread so quickly?'

Cassidy lowered the recording device and sighed, taking another breath before pulling it up to her lips again.

'I fear – among many, many other things – that my search for answers cannot continue as long as I remain in this… this cauldron of blood. And yet I do not believe I would ever forgive myself if I did not commit myself to at least attempting to root out the cause of all this horror. I feel…' she trailed off as something 'clicked', close by. She gasped and fumbled for her pistol, almost dropping her recording device.

The bottle of pills she had so casually tossed aside earlier had come to a rest against the check-out desk; it had connected with something on the desk, and engaged some sort of mechanism. Curiosity overwhelmed Cassidy as she crawled cautiously up to the check-out. Removing the bottle of pills she saw that there was an indention in the desk that the bottle had collided with as it rolled. It appeared to be some kind of –

'Switch…' she breathed, then hurriedly raised her recording device and stood up, making sure to keep an eye on the indention. She pressed her foot against it, tapping gently. Something clicked once more and suddenly a section of the wall slid open; revealing a concealed entrance.

Shaking her astonishment loose, she crept inside, her recording device never straying more than half a foot from her mouth, and her gun pointed ahead.

'There's… I don't believe this, I just –' she resisted the urge to jump into the air and shout her triumph 'it was pure, blind chance but it happened nonetheless. A switch! A switch by the check-out counter you activate by pushing it with your foot! It opens a segment of the wall. I'm inside now; it's a thin corridor. There's a metal door at the end…'

She reached the door and took hold of the door handle. No sooner had she done this when light suddenly flooded the secret corridor.

'This… this part of the mall must run on its own independent power source. The lights in the corridor have just turned on. There must be sensors on the door handle I've just taken hold of – a curious place for such things to be sure but they must be there. I'm opening the door now.'

She stepped inside and found herself in what seemed like a lab. Long white benches lined the room, dotted with microscopes and other equipment. Consoles and screens dotted the pure, clean white walls. At the far end of the room was a large tube with…

'Oh my God… there's… there's something here. There's a large test tube at the opposite end of the room and… oh God. I'll try and describe what I'm seeing. It's… it looks like a skinless human. Big, long, sharp talons on its gangly limbs – I bet those could do some damage. Its head is… it looks like its brain has burst out of its skull. It doesn't seem to have any eyes… perhaps it hunts by sound or scent? I sure don't want to find out.' She backed away from the tube. The creature freaked her out.

'This is…' she bumped into a console as she backed away from the inactive creature; a screen flickered to life, surprising her. An ageing man's face filled the screen, he looked panicked, and hadn't shaven in a few days.

'This is Doctor Paul Anton, calling from Progenitor Station; the specimens are loose! I say again the specimens are loose! We don't know how but they are out and… and they're _killing _people. I'm initiating Article Thirty-Three. Take as much data as you can, wipe your machines and purge your facilities. If we do not leave with something then all of this was for nothing! I advise you make your way to either Elspeth Airport or New Rynns and evacuate. Do not come to Faraquay! At the rate things are going here the city will be a ghost town in a matter of hours... Jennifer… Jennifer if you're watching this then please, _please _go, now! I love y–'

The screen fizzed out, leaving Cassidy alone once more.

She was unmoving for almost a full minute, forgetting even to breathe until the lack of oxygen forced her to gasp for breath. She staggered at her discovery, taking a couple of gulps of air before raising her recording device.

'This is… this is everything I needed. I have proof. They started this; all of it. I don't think they meant to but they did…' she checked the room for a data stick, finding one in a drawer and inserting it in the port of a nearby machine. Activating it proved fruitless however, as the machine had been wiped. Cassidy cursed under her breath and checked each and every other machine in the room. No luck.

She glanced warily at the monster in the tube, and then caught sight of one last machine which still looked active. How she hadn't noticed it before she didn't know; though the creature had been very eye-catching. She made her way over to the machine, glancing at the inactive monster every couple of seconds until finally she reached her objective.

She slid the data stick into the console and activated the machine. Success! It still worked and there… wow… she didn't think all those files could conceivably fit on that tiny little hard drive. She copied as much incriminating evidence as she could before placing it onto the data stick, switching the machine off and pulling the device out. The creature remained still, though Cassidy couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that she was being watched.

'Perfect.' She smiled at the tiny device. Now all she needed to do was escape the island with it intact.

Something dripped behind her. She wheeled around, her handgun primed in one hand. Nothing. She swept the gun from side to side, checking the room. It was just as empty as it was when she had entered.

_Drip._

Something fell on her shoulder, something wet. Cassidy wiped her shoulder, gaining a feel for the strange substance. It was clear, viscous, almost like… like…

The eerie feeling was now a screeching alarm bell ringing in her skull, ordering her to get the hell out of dodge. She craned her head slowly skyward, dread pooling in her belly.

The creature attached itself to the ceiling with its talons; it reminded Cassidy almost of Spiderman from a movie. Its exposed muscles were taut, as if it were coiled and ready to pounce.

It also seemed to be looking directly at her.

The creatures disgusting maw widened and a long, glistening tongue slipped out of its fanged mouth, twisting and turning in the air as if tasting it. It then retracted the tongue and slid it around its chops, as if licking its lips in anticipation of a…

'Meal…' Cassidy murmured, her shock induced reverie at the creature's sudden appearance finally ending.

Cassidy ran as the monster pounced, crashing into the glass of the giant tube containing its kindred, cracking the glass. The liquid inside seeped through the cracks, pooling on the ground by the other creature's clawed feet.

She ran for the door, reaching for the handle when a sudden blur of movement forced her to snatch her arm back. A neat hole appeared in the wall behind her, glancing back at the monster, she saw that its head was pointed in her direction, and that its disgusting, distended tongue was retracting.

It had stabbed the wall with its tongue.

Swallowing her horror, Cassidy tore through the laboratory door, slamming it shut before dashing through the corridor and back into the pharmacy, searching frantically for a way to shut the entrance. She pressed her foot against the switch that had opened it but it did nothing. She paced up and down the store, her panic rising steadily.

Finally she stopped.

'Okay. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Whatever that thing was, it's still in there. It probably hunts by sound so if I just tell everyone to keep it down, and if we just barricade this store up it'll probably be alright.'

'You know if you start talking to yourself people are going to think you're crazy.' A voice from behind caused her to jump. She found that Ethan stood in the entrance of the store, Sydney too.

'But… you talk to yourself too.' Sydney pointed out. Ethan gave her a poisonous look.

'No. I talk to Marcus, who happens to live inmy head for reasons I can't explain. They're entirely different things, you get me?' Sydney shrank back a little from him, turning towards Cassidy, suddenly eager to change topic.

'So, what are you doing in here? And why do you look like you've seen a ghost?'

Cassidy shook her head suddenly, shaking herself out of her stupor and walked briskly up to the pair.

'Okay. Listen to me carefully,' she started, pulling the two close, 'there is some kind of… monster behind a door in that corridor.'

'Monster? Like those things outside?' Sydney asked.

'Worse. Much, much worse.' Cassidy repled gravely, 'its got a long tongue it uses to pierce things with and claws and really, really sharp teeth but I don't think it sees like we do. So we need to tell the others to be quiet, and then board this place up; and I think it would be an idea to do this now.'

'Fine,' Ethan grumbled, 'wasn't enough with the freaks outside was it? Now they're throwing new shit at us too.' Sydney took a cautious step towards Cassidy, who attempted to give her a reassuring smile, though it likely had the opposite effect she intended as Sydney simply lowered her head.

They made their way to the home department store where everyone was currently tucking into some lunch, courtesy of Arnolds Finest Snack Bar, and were barely a couple of metres away when Ethan suddenly piped up;

'Say, this monster of yours… is it a skinless person with wicked claws and a really messed up head?' he asked, measuredly. Cassidy squeezed her eyes shut, praying in her head that her fears weren't about to be proven correct.

'Please, please, _please_ tell me it's not out of the store.'

'It's not out of the store,' Ethan deadpanned, 'unless of course it's found a way up onto the roof in the thirty seconds it's taken us to get here.'

'_What?_'

True enough; sitting comfortably on top of the Plexiglas roof directly above them was the very same creature Cassidy had seen only moments before.

'How can it have…' she wondered aloud, before shaking her head.

'Okay. As I said before, I'm all but certain that thing is blind, so provided we stay really, really quiet we should be fine. Maybe we can get everyone together and ambush it.'

'Are you sure? It looks pretty dangerous.' Sydney said, casting worried glances towards the creature above them. It didn't appear to be particularly mobile at that moment, content for the time being to simply manoeuvre its tongue through the air like a snake hunting for prey. The teen shuddered in revulsion.

'What's going on out here?' Kit appeared in the entrance to the department store. Cassidy pressed a finger to her lips and then pointed skyward. The young man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before settling in their usual disinterested gaze – Cassidy could almost swear he and Ellen were related in that they both seemed to carry the same look about them.

'What exactly is that?' he asked, reaching for a weapon and then finding he'd left them in the store.

'I don't know,' Cassidy replied, her eyes not leaving the skinless freak of nature, 'but it's fast, and that tongue can punch through concrete.'

'Oh you are kidding me!' Ethan spat venomously.

'Wish I was. That thing in the store lashed out with it when I ran – clean little hole right in the wall – and the tongue's fast too; I didn't even see it until the thing pulled it back.'

'Okay. So how many of these things are there?' Kit asked, finally tearing his eyes from the creature.

'Got to be two, one's locked up in the pharmacy back there,' Cassidy motioned with her head in the direction they'd come from, 'there's no way it could have broken out and made it all the way up there in less than a minute.' Kit nodded in understanding before motioning for the three to follow him back into the store where the rest of the group sat.

While Cassidy explained the situation to the others, Ethan stood watch by the store window. The monster was still up on the roof, only now it seemed to be agitated, pacing in circles, its tongue tracing more intricate paths through the air.

'_It's coming to get you.'_

'Not right now Marcus.' Ethan said through gritted teeth.

'_Think I saw a movie with a monster like that. Had that model-turned-actress Mira Jovovich or some shit. Pretty bad movie but you saw one of her tits in one bit which was pretty cash.'_

'Marcus. Seriously. Shut the fuck up –'

'_Or what, you'll climb into your own skull and kill me? The first time tore you up bad enough, I'd _love _to see what it'd do to you a second time.'_

Ethan ground his teeth and pulled his iPod from his rucksack, untangling the wires before planting one in his ear and cycling through his collection. Soon the soothing vocals of James Veck-Gilodi poured out the earpiece and Ethan felt himself calm down as Marcus' voice faded into dull noise.

'So that's the situation.' Cassidy finished explaining.

'That's… pretty out there.' Tiffany replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

'What, more than corpses walking the streets and eating people? This whole situation is 'out there'.' Ellen scoffed.

'I'll tell you what's out there –' Randolf started, but a collective glare from the females (and a disapproving one from Kit) shut him up.

'So, what do we do?' Sema asked.

'There's only two of them right? We could lure them in one at a time and kill them.' Ellen suggested.

'I vote that we stay away from the ugly monsters with sharp teeth. Last I looked they're really not all that good for your health,' Randolf chipped in, 'besides, she said they hunt by sound right? All we need to do is tiptoe everywhere and we're golden.'

'But what if she was wrong? What if it can see? Or if it hunts in a different way?' Ellen asked pointedly.

'I think she's right.' Tiffany spoke, drawing a brief, surprised look from Ellen.

'If there are two of these things now, then chances are there are more. If these things show up _en masse_ do show up we need to know how to deal with them.'

'Okay, so you two are all for shooting them up. But what about our weapon situation?' Sema asked 'We've got a few handguns and barely any ammunition.' She turned to Randolf 'I don't suppose there's a hunting goods store in this place is there? You know; somewhere with rifles and bullets?' she asked hopefully. Randolf fixed her with a glance before released a humourless laugh.

'Pah! No one hunts on Pelanoi. If it's fishing I can point you to a bunch of places, though I don't fancy your chances with a line and bait.'

'How about we just leave?' said a quiet voice, the group turned collectively to see Sydney shrink back shyly.

'I mean that thing's on the roof right and we didn't even notice. You've all said it yourselves; there are probably more and what if they're creeping up on this place right now? I really think we should just grab as much as we can and leave while we still can and –' the girl was going at a hundred miles an hour, and was quickly becoming unintelligible. Cassidy reached over to her and grabbed her firmly, but not roughly.

'Sweetie, calm down and take a breath.' The college student took an audible gulp of air and spent a few moments catching her breath back. Cassidy smiled gently at her.

'Good kid.'

Ethan strolled back to the gathering, his face set in stone.

'There's more,' He said gravely.

'What?'

'I'm sorry was I speaking with my volume down low or something? I said there's _more_. And they all look like they're sizing up a prime steak – if you don't get the analogy by the way, that means they're –'

'We get it. We're not all as thick as you,' Ellen interrupted brusquely.

'Funny,' Ethan growled.

Tiffany stepped in between them before it could escalate.

'How many Ethan?' she asked. Ethan shrugged.

'About eight, last time I looked, might be more now,' he said before leading the group over to the store window. Roughly a little more than a dozen were perched on top of the shatter-resistant glass roof, and each of them was pacing slowly, intently.

'I didn't catch all of what the ankle-biter said,' Ethan muttered, 'but I got the part about getting the fuck out of dodge. Personally I'm all for that right about now.'

'Don't think we've got much of a choice,' Tiffany murmured in agreement, 'no way we could take all of these if what Cassidy told us is true,' she turned to the rest of the group.

'Okay. Grab all your kit. We'll head downstairs and grab as much in the way of supplies as we can, we'll leave via Ethan's secret entrance.'

'There you go again, telling everyone what to do.' Ellen remarked with a scowl.

'Calm down,' Kit told her, his voice and tone counterpart to Ellen's own, 'what she's saying makes sense. Right?' He turned to Leah, who hadn't spoken much, still smarting from her defeat at Ellen's hands in the morning. Quickly jumping on the chance to one up her foe, she nodded.

'It makes total sense. Besides, I'm not seeing you come up with any bright ideas,' she smirked victoriously upon seeing Ellen's scowl deepen into a frown.

'Ladies please, you're both pretty – and ordinarily I'd toss something else in there but now's hardly the time unless one of you fancies a go…' Randolf took a quick glance at the rest of the group, many of whom cast him unfavourable looks.

'Didn't think so but I thought I'd ask anyway.'

'Enough! Let's go before they figure out how to get in!'

A crash echoing from within the mall froze the group.

'Hear that?' Ethan whispered, 'that's the sound of our chances dropping from slim to fuck-all.'

Tiffany slapped him lightly on the back of the head, much to the amusement of all present. Ethan glared with a look of unbridled malice in his gaze but said nothing.

'Now would really be the best time people,' Tiffany said, softly, 'now let's go, unless you'd prefer to stay and entertain the guests.'

It took less than a minute for everyone to pack up.

Tiffany took the lead, her weapon primed. Kit followed directly behind, two combat knives held in a reverse grip. He in turn was followed by Leah with her snub-nosed pistol. Sydney, Cassidy and Randolf made up the centre, while Ellen, Ethan and Sema brought up the rear.

Ethan cast another glance skyward; the roof seemed to be practically teeming with the skinless freaks.

'Ugly fuckers,' he spat.

'Speaking from experience are we?' Ellen said, the corner of her lip twitching in time with Ethan's eye.

'I've got half a mind to cut a leg off you and leave you as bait while the rest of us scarper.' Ethan whispered to her.

'Come try it, see what happens,' Ellen replied, she seemed entirely unafraid of the fact that her back was to Ethan, as well as entirely confident as to the outcome of a potential struggle. Ethan snarled softly and spat on the ground.

'Fuck it. Marcus is right: not worth the effort.'

'Smart boy,' She spoke condescendingly.

The group made it to the barricades erected at the top of the staircase. Tiffany stopped them there and called for them to come closer.

'We'll go down in our threes. Two groups will cover the one going down until we're all there. Okay? Good.' With that, she, Kit and Leah clambered as quietly as they could over the amalgam of objects that blockaded the stairs and made their way down. When they cleared the lower barricade they quickly surveyed the bottom floor, before signing that it was clear and that the next group could come down.

Randolf stepped aside for Cassidy and Sydney.

'Ladies first,' he said with a shit-eating grin. Cassidy rolled her eyes and pulled Sydney gently along. It seemed like it was going swimmingly until Sydney stumbled as she climbed over an unstable desk, Cassidy reached out and took her arm, preventing the young woman from falling, but the sudden motion destabilised the improvised fortification and a chair fell, clattering deafeningly loudly down the stairway.

Everyone present froze, their blood running cold as the creatures suddenly stopped. One reached its claw high –

– and brought it sharply down onto the surface, cracking the material.

All pretence of stealth lost, Sydney and Cassidy hurried down as quickly as they could, Randolf close behind as – all above them – the creatures brought their claws to bear and struck the glass again and again.

'Come on!' Tiffany shouted as soon as Sydney cleared the bottommost barricade. Needing no further spurring, Ethan, Sema and Ellen clambered down.

'That stuff's not gonna hold long,' Sema observed worriedly, checking that the safety of her handgun was off. Ethan scoffed.

'Don't be daft. They look strong sure but there's no way they could possibly –'

_CRASH!_

The glass shattered, and more than two dozen licker Bio-Organic Weapons dropped into the mall.

'Fantastic observation Holmes!' Ellen yelled over the din of breaking Plexiglas and the hissing lickers.

'Where do we go now? For the food stores?' Someone asked; no one was entirely sure who.

'Too close; they'd be on us in seconds! No, we have to leave now!' Tiffany bellowed over the noise.

The group darted through the mall, many of the lickers already on their trail. Sema turned around and squeezed off a couple of shots, winging two lickers which slowed them, but didn't stop them.

'Save your shots! Just run!'

They made it to Ethan's back entrance within the space of a minute, the hissing BOWs never further than a step behind. Tiffany ushered everyone through, making sure they passed before turning through the door and slamming it shut just as one of the creatures pounced.

The claw shredded through the door, the tip sitting mere millimetres away from Tiffany's throat.

Stumbling back – caught off-guard by her near death experience – she collapsed on the ground for a moment before shaking her head, snapping herself out of her stupor and hauling ass away from the mall with the rest of the group as the claw withdrew. She caught up with the rest of them just on the outskirts of the city suburbs.

'Okay. We need a new plan.' Randolf spoke aloud, soft murmurs of agreement followed.

'I think I might have one,' said Cassidy, 'I heard something about evacuations from the airport near this city, and in New Rynns by the coast.'

'What about Faraquay?' Ethan asked, 'that's closer so why not there?'

'Faraquay's overrun,' Cassidy shook her head. Ethan swore.

'So we either trek twenty odd miles to the airport – which may or may not be overrun by this point – or we walk all the way down south to New Rynns?' Leah piped up, 'neither of those sounds particularly good to me.'

'Guess we need to make a decision then,' said Tiffany, 'we'll take a vote, majority rules; but decide quickly. We can't stay here for too long.'

The group huddled together, casting wary glances at their surroundings as they decided what their best course of action would be.

**-X-**

**Still hate writing endings.**

**On another note my lovely readers, you now need to choose for the guys you've been following; there's a poll set up on my profile you can vote on. So get cracking.**

**As always, comments are appreciated, constructive comments even more so.**


	6. New Faces

**Well results are in; only six of you ended up voting and I didn't feel like putting this off much longer.**

**Votes for the coastal evacuation: 2**

**Votes for the airport evacuation: 4**

**Surprise for you at the bottom, and no I'm not spoiling it here so read the damn story.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Three: New Faces**

The dead man stood in the middle of the street, rolling around its head slowly at a constant, consistent pace. It was almost hypnotic. Every so often a gunshot or another scream signifying another life lost reverberated throughout the haunted city and the creature would open and close its ruined maw. But it wouldn't move. It never moved.

Kit continued observing the creature for a moment longer before drawing both his combat knives, one held in a reverse grip. He crept silently towards the creature, making sure to avoid crunching the scattered glass from a nearby crashed car. Closer and closer he drew, the foetid creature none the wiser to his presence. Barely a metre away. He could feel tiny beads of sweat rolling down his neck as he prepared to pounce and silence the creature.

The creature turned.

This shouldn't be. He had made no discernible sound as he'd snuck towards the dead man, and nothing before had so much as fazed the creature. It was almost as if it had simply sensed his presence.

The creature raised its arms; one a bloody ruin, shards of glass piercing its tan suit sleeve and took an unsteady step towards him. It opened its bloody mouth – a mess of broken teeth and savaged flesh. Kit leapt –

– and sunk one of the blades into its shoulder, driving it to the ground. The monster clawed for Kit's face but he snapped his head back, allowing the clutching hand to grasp air. Pinned to the ground, the creature was unable to defend itself as Kit raised his last knife dramatically before sinking it into the dead man's eye socket. The creature shuddered horrifically before its arms fell limply to the ground.

Kit gave the street a quick check to make sure his activity hadn't attracted any observers before holding up his hand and motioning for the others that the coast was clear for the time being.

The other eight members of the group emerged from within a side alley. Tiffany strolled up towards the dead man before nodding to Kit, impressed. Ellen followed and gave the body a gentle nudge with her blue running shoes.

'I still say you should have let me take care of it.' She said.

'No one doubts your abilities, I just thought –' Tiffany started.

'I never said anything about doubting,' Ellen interrupted.

'I just thought,' Tiffany continued, ignoring her, 'that cause we let you handle the first few times you deserved a break. We've been travelling for a while now; we're all on edge – even if some of us won't admit it.' She said pointedly, but not unkindly.

Ellen snorted in derision and stalked away, stopping behind the wreck of a PDF vehicle, checking further down the street. She turned back after a moment.

'Bunch of 'em down the street; couple of those freaks from the mall too. No way are we getting through there unless one of you has a bazooka you've not told us about.'

'Then we're not getting through there either,' Tiffany sighed.

'I thought not,' Ellen frowned as she cast a wary glance back down the street.

'So what now GI Jane?' Leah asked, 'the last two roads were blocked off and this one's crawling with monsters. Why don't we just find somewhere to hunker down for a while, I'm tired.'

Randolf glanced at the street, the buildings lining the road before turning to Ethan.

'Hey, what do you think? South Park Avenue?' he asked.

'Looks like it,' Ethan said with a shrug, 'though last I looked South Park Avenue still had that banner up on the Simmons & Co. office building.'

Randolf checked the buildings again.

'Yeah, you're right, not seeing them. So Elias Road then?'

'That'd be my guess.' Ethan nodded, 'but I'm not seeing where you're going with –' he stopped, as if reaching a sudden epiphany.

'Oh… oh! I see what you're thinking… well if it's not been blasted to an even bigger shithole by this crazy crap then it could work. Yeah, yeah, exactly Marcus.'

'What are you talking about?' Cassidy asked the two.

'The slums,' Randolf explained, 'see that back alley there?' he pointed towards an alleyway just a little distance past the crashed PDF vehicle.

'We can cut through them instead of following the city streets,' Randolf explained, leaning on his paddle, 'narrow streets but provided we don't get ourselves cornered it'll cut the time it'll take us to get to the airport by half.'

'I like the sound of that,' Sydney piped up.

'Likewise,' Sema nodded in agreement.

'Alright, then through the slums it is; let's not waste time,' Tiffany motioned for Kit and Ellen to take the lead.

The slums – while paling in comparison to the magnificent, high-rising housing present in the city outskirts – were not quite as bad as the rest of the group were led to believe. Indeed, housing seemed generally of poorer quality, and the streets were only just wide enough for an average sized car to squeeze through, but there was a strange charm to the architecture. It seemed almost comfortable, not outlandish or extravagant like the buildings so common in the inner city.

A gunshot close by startled the group; it was followed almost immediately by shouts and several more shots.

'They sound close,' observed Sydney, who fingered the grip of her bat.

'They sound dead,' Ellen said dismissively, 'those shots will probably bring in dozens of those freaks. We'd better keep moving before they start showing up in numbers.'

A sullen atmosphere descended as they realised that Ellen could well be right. Kit however, thought back to the creature he'd taken down a few minutes beforehand; the dead man hadn't so much as twitched at the noises in the distance, though Kit felt sure it had definitely heard. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he joined Ellen at the front.

The gunshots grew in frequency, ever closer. The shooters seemed to be on the move.

The group passed a burnt-out home, a sedan and another PDF vehicle had somehow lodged themselves in the side of the building and Kit noticed that there was movement in the PDF vehicle. Ellen noticed too and shrugged, continuing down the narrow street, Smith and Wesson in one hand, knife in the other.

Kit eyed the Canadian woman warily. Her attitude towards the rest of the group irritated him in all honesty, but he admitted that she was a more than worthy fighter. He felt himself grimace, remembering how she had brutally and efficiently taken down two wandering undead before. Honestly if it came to a straight-up fight between them, he wasn't entirely sure he could win.

He shook his head. He had to focus. There was no point thinking about things that – in all likelihood – would never come to pass. They all shared a common goal, and each of the different people present was fully aware that to stop and fight amongst themselves would be a death sentence.

He and Ellen turned the tiny street corner at the same time –

– and found themselves face to face with several gun barrels.

The one-sided stand-off continued for several moments before the other group lowered their weapons.

'You've not attacked us, so I guess that means you're human right?' a woman holding a shotgun asked as she lowered the bulky weapon.

Neither Kit nor Ellen replied, giving each other a wary look before turning their eyes back on the group before them.

There were six of them. One wore a torn Elspeth City Police Department uniform and seemed to be in her middle ages, the rest appeared to be civilians; two women and three men. Two of the men looked like they came from the same department store: Carroll's Furniture, their name tags read Steven and Nolan. Steven looked like he'd stepped out of a model shoot, even in his work outfit – an unholy combination of dark green pants and a blinding yellow shirt – didn't diminish the fact that he was a rather attractive young man. Nolan by comparison seemed like he hadn't slept in weeks, the bags under his eyes made him look almost like he was wearing eyeliner.

The other male, and, from the looks of it, the oldest of the group had a receding, grey hairline. He was fairly ugly; a pug face squinting at the two newcomers, age evidently had not treated him well. Despite this, he held the army service revolver like it was second nature to him. A veteran perhaps? The cop seemed to be in her forties and stepped forward with the woman with the shotgun. Sweat ran in rivulets over her dark skin, and Kit noticed with alarm that there appeared to be some sort of wound on her arm.

'Hey,' she greeted, holding out her hand without any hesitation, Kit immediately took a liking to the officer, 'good to see some normal folks. Were worried we might be the last ones left alive on this whole island for a while…' she trailed off, her vision glazing over as she recalled past events. She snapped out of her brief trance before pointing to herself.

'I'm Barbara, and this –' she pointed out each person in the group, starting with Shotgun and working her way to the old man, 'is Marissa, Steven, Nolan, Denise and Ian,' each member gave a brief nod or courteous wave as their name was called. Barbara gave the pair a glance.

'Is there anyone else with –'

'What's going on? It clear or… oh…' Leah rounded the corner, coming face to face with the other lot, the rest followed suit. Barbara forced a chuckle.

'Guess that answers that.'

'A police officer? Thought they were all extinct,' Randolf said, bemused. Barbara shook her head sadly.

'We're an endangered species now, seems most people are on Pelanoi.'

'Wait, what do you mean by that? Sure it's been pretty brutal but it can't have spread that far in two days right?' Sema inquired.

'Afraid not. Just before the Chief sent us out he told us that riots like this were popping up all over the island, and Faraquay went entirely dark about two hours before shit _really_ hit the fan.'

Cassidy took an unsteady step back, absently fingering the data stick in her pocket.

_Even if the specimens got loose in Faraquay and in Elspeth, that can't explain how so many outbreaks could occur all across the island. Does Grant & Glukhovsky have that many facilities? I don't think that's possible, not for a comparatively small company like them. There has to be another factor._

The journalist's thoughts distracted her entirely and she failed to notice the noise behind her. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground and there was an inhuman hissing ringing in her ear, brutal and aggressive. She shrieked as she realised that one of those strange, skinless specimens had jumped on her back and was bringing its wicked claws to bear on her.

A loud, resonating _blam_ boomed through the slums. The creature was torn off of her, its left arm shredded and hanging uselessly at the monster's side. The creature hissed in pain and rounded on its attacker. Marissa stood with her feet apart at shoulder's width; her firing stance was perfect –

– but she was out of ammo.

The dark haired woman cursed as she opened the breech and fumbled with some shells she hastily dug from her pocket. The skinless abomination screeched suddenly and launched itself forward with its hind legs. Marissa ducked.

The creature wasn't aiming for her.

A brutal claw sliced through the jugular of the other woman in the group – Denise. The scrawny woman clutched at her ruined throat, desperately trying to stem the torrent of blood that gushed from the gaping wound.

Kit and Ellen sprang into action.

Ellen steadied her aim on her other arm while Kit circled cautiously but quickly around the beast, which was having trouble turning owing to its blasted frontal limb. Barbara raised her own sidearm and let off three quick shots, two shots thudded into the creature's midsection but it showed no sign of having even noticed the assault. Ellen meanwhile had judged her aim steady enough and squeezed the trigger of her weapon. The powerful handgun roared and a large .357 bullet embedded itself in the shoulder of the creature, blowing its other arm off.

The creature whined in what could well be agony, dropping face-first to the concrete on its useless arms. One of the men from the other group – Nolan – stepped forward warily with a hatchet to finish the creature off. It appeared defenceless.

That day, the group learned that the abominations let loose on the city were never defenceless.

Suddenly adjusting its hind legs, the creature launched itself in a similar manner to how it had beforehand and crashed into Nolan, its wicked jaws latched onto his throat, sinking deep.

Kit closed in quickly as the armless freak tugged with its neck, each tug drawing an agonised, breathless gasp from Nolan, who was limp beneath the creature. Finally the creature tore its jaws upward, the bloody remnants of Nolan's neck in its disgusting maw. Kit saw red.

A knife sunk into the creature's spine just at the base of its neck, severing its nervous system and paralyzing it for all intents and purposes. Another knife stabbed into the creature's distended brain; Kit withdrew the weapon and stabbed again, and again, and again, until finally the abomination lay still, unmoving.

The collected individuals were silent for a moment, stunned at the sudden violence that had just broken out. Kit backed away from the dead monster, the two knives he held glistened with blood and cranial fluid. Glancing at himself he found that there was a fair amount of gore spattered on his attire; blood stains adorned his baggy jeans, and his leather coat wasn't much better off.

'What the fuck?!' Randolf shouted, breaking the silence.

'That was…' Sydney started, but turned and retched, Cassidy gave the younger girl a gentle pat on the shoulder, though she was unable to tear her eyes from the carnage before her.

'Fuck this,' the old man said suddenly before backing away, 'those shots'll attract more of those freaks!' he was panicking, his eyes were wide and he was trying to look in a thousand different directions as his brain went into overdrive.

'I ain't waiting around for them to come get me! Not like that! Not like that!'

'Ian, calm down we need to stick together,' Barbara finally regained control of herself and stepped towards Ian, her arms held up as if to placate the old man.

'Hell with that! I'm getting out of here now!' he turned and ran, it didn't seem possible someone that old could run so quickly.

'Ian!' Barbara called, 'damn it!'

She turned to the others, her gaze was wild eyed, she was on the brink of losing control herself. She looked like she was about to talk but then she stopped, scrunched up a fist and pressed the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut for a few moments. When she reopened them, she was in control again.

'Alright… alright,' she looked at Marissa, 'you and Steven tag along with them; I'll go get Ian back.'

'You sure?' the woman asked, 'how will we find each other?'

The officer thought for a moment before casting her eyes on Kit and the others.

'Where are you headed?' she asked curtly.

'The airport, Cassidy here,' she jerked her head in Cassidy's direction, 'said that she overheard they were evacuating people there. You're welcome to join us, probably stand a better shot if we all help each other.' Barbara nodded in agreement.

'Yeah… yeah I think I remember hearing that too… then we'll meet up there. All you need to do is cut through the slums for about ten minutes thataway,' she pointed westward, through a small side-alley, 'and you should come across the highway leading straight to it. We'll meet up there…' she made off, then stopped and turned around.

'Good luck.' She said with sincerity before heading off in Ian's direction.

'Brave woman…' Sema murmured, Ethan snorted.

'Ten says we never see either of them again,' he muttered. Sema shot him a look.

'What?' he asked, 'I'm just being realistic.'

'Um, excuse me?' one of the newcomers – Steven, whose voice was surprisingly deep considering his pretty boy face – asked.

'Should we get going?' his voice seemed a little faint, the death of his co-worker had evidently shaken him.

No one had anything to say to the contrary, so on they continued.

They passed through the side alley and into another narrow street, homes burned all around them and the smell was almost suffocating.

'Let's go! Watch your sides, those things could come from anywhere.'

Randolf brought up the rear; his eyes were practically glued to the woman with the shotgun's attractive derriere. He kept the act going for almost a minute before moving closer.

'So… Marissa is it? Nice name.' Marissa didn't reply, instead fixing him a cold glare with her sapphire eyes.

'I like your eyes too. Nice colour, don't see many like that. Hey, once we're done with all the running, any chance you'd –'

He was abruptly cut off when a burning skinless abomination leapt over a fence, coming to a halt just in front of the group. Its skin sizzled and cracked yet it still continued to move. The thing screeched its agony and its tongue lashed out, punching through Steven's eye socket in an instant.

'Jesus!' Leah cried as she backed away from Steven, who fell to the ground.

The creature withdrew its tongue before screeching once more, a deafening blast rang out and the abomination's blazing head exploded. Marissa pumped the shotgun with an audible _ka-chack_ and loaded another shell. Tiffany nodded in appreciation of a fine shot, while Randolf seemed even more appreciative.

'And you know how to handle guns too; should make things easier,' Marissa didn't stop to listen, and instead stalked off after the rest of the group, who had resumed their hurried pace.

'Fine,' Randolf muttered to himself as he caught up, 'as they say: nothing like the thrill of the chase.'

**-X-**

The highway was a mess.

The road was packed with crashed, burning or abandoned vehicles, and even from this distance it was easy to see that the dead skulked amidst the carnage. A sign told them that the airport lay roughly ten miles away.

'And all we need to do is wade through a load of dead people…' Ellen said, her tone drier than a desert, 'well… let's not keep 'em waiting.' She said as she palmed her combat knife before striding forwards.

'Don't go too far now,' Tiffany warned, 'those cars could still be occupied; plenty of places to hide.'

'Don't worry Soldier,' Ellen said dismissively, 'I know how to handle myself.'

The ten individuals trekked forwards, as they walked, the distinctive noise of an approaching helicopter echoed through the landscape. All present craned their heads, searching for it.

'Ah! There! There it is!' Sydney cried, pointing towards a dark transport helicopter. Sydney waved her arms and jumped up and down on the spot, trying to get the pilot's attention.

'Hey! Down here! We're over here!' she yelled.

'I've always wondered why people do that,' Ethan wondered aloud as he glanced at the excitable student, 'I mean, he's all the way up there; he's never going to be able to hear you or anything…'

The helicopter flew promptly overhead. It seemed to be heading for Elspeth City.

'Wonder what it's going there for…' Sema thought aloud.

'Some big-wig with a load of cash probably,' Randolf spat, letting everyone know exactly what he thought, 'lazy bastards couldn't even bother to pick us up.'

'Maybe they didn't see us?' Sema offered, 'or maybe they thought we were like… well…' she trailed off, though her gaze wandering towards the graveyard of vehicles told all.

'It doesn't matter,' Tiffany said, 'they didn't stop, we can't stop either; if it's like this all the way to the airport then they might be under siege already. If we want off this island before the planes stop flying then we need to get there as fast as we can.' The group nodded in affirmation before hefting their respective weapons and stalking cautiously, warily towards the highway.

**-X-**

'Survivors?' the co-pilot asked.

'Definitely,' the woman nodded.

'You get a shot of 'em? Just in case… you know…'

'If I took a shot of every survivor we see we're going to run out of film. Besides, it's not our job to take care of shit like that, it's theirs.' She jerked her head back, indicating their passengers. The co-pilot shivered in his flight suit.

'So where do you think they're headed?' he asked after a brief moment.

'Where do you think? Not that it'll do 'em much good, place is a death trap now.'

'Oh! The airport! Shit… poor bastards.'

'We there yet?' The co-pilot turned at the voice.

The man stood a little over six feet tall, the modified respirator on his face allowing only his blazing maroon eyes to be shown. Dressed all in black combat gear and with the pimped out weapons, he cut an intimidating figure. His voice – distinctly British – even conformed with his appearance; gruff, blunt, in no mood for nonsense.

The co-pilot stammered for a moment before turning his gaze back to the instruments in the cockpit.

'Uh, we'll be at the drop-site in about five minutes… so you might want to –'

'Five minutes. Understood. We'll be ready.'

The man turned away.

'Guy gives me the creeps…' the co-pilot muttered.

He didn't see it, but his partner nodded her head in accord.

In the transport bay of the helicopter, the mercenary stood before the six other members of his squad; Grey Team.

'We'll be dropping in five. Ensure you're ready to go or I will shoot you here and now. Once we drop we're in enemy territory… I trust you've all been briefed on the Umbrella specimens?' Six nods confirmed that they had.

'Good. Now remember; our duty is clean-up. Anything Grant & Glukhovsky thinks can be used against them needs to go: machines, facilities, people. Everything goes. You stop and I will shoot you. You hesitate and I will shoot you. You show even the slightest bit of weakness whilst carrying out this operation and I will shoot you… am I clear?' Six nods again, the mercenary felt the corner of his lips twitch in amusement.

'Fantastic. Now…' he began as he pulled out a map of Elspeth City, on said map the location of the Elspeth Mall was marked with a red cross, 'let's do a bit of shopping…'

**-X-**

**Shorter chapter than the previous two, I tried stretching out the trek through the slums but in the end it just felt like it dragged on to me so I cut about a thousand words or so.**

**Anyway; exciting news: five new slots have just opened up in the character submission for – you guessed it – the G&G mercenaries about to drop into the city. Submissions from those who have already submitted characters will be accepted, though if I get five from those who haven't submitted anyone yet they will, of course, take precedence. Inspired heavily by ORC (which in all honesty I can't recommend to anyone, regardless of how big an RE fanatic you are, it's an all-round terrible game and Slant Six should feel ashamed of themselves for screwing a rather interesting concept).**

**Regarding the rules to these happy chappies; greater liberties will be allowed with regards to weapons and inventory (though no more than two plus a knife if you're going to kit them out with nothing but shotguns and assault rifles). Appearance however must be appropriate for this sort of shady business; no casual wear. At all.**

**Cheers**


	7. Intercepted Message: Sydney Henry

**Still waiting on 2 more people for the G&G mercs, and if possible if you are going to submit, can we have it a little more gender-equalised? So far it's even with 2 males and 2 females so if we could get one guy and one girl that'd be fine and dandy.**

**Also did anyone else see the recent footage from Chris' campaign? Good lord that made me laugh; 'Hey guys here's a great idea; let's all hunt a giant genetically modified super-snake that can camouflage itself in a creepy abandoned apartment building with small arms!'**

**Sounds like fun.**

**-X-**

_Intercepted cell phone message._

_SENDER: HENRY, SYDNEY_

_RECEIVER: HENRY, JAMES_

_Message begins:_

Hey daddy, how are you? I guess you can't answer now of course but its okay, I know you'll call me back when you have time.

I know I've said it a thousand times already but thanks again for the holiday. When I told you where I wanted to go I thought you'd say no as soon as I'd brought it up. I know you worry about me and Derrick but really, I'm eighteen now; I'm going to _college _soon! I can take care of myself now…

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rant. I'll um…

Anyway, this place is amazing. It's so warm and the buildings are so new, and the people here are so _nice_. I dropped my purse on my second day here and couldn't find it for an hour and you know what? This guy comes up to me after I spend an hour looking for it and says 'I think this is yours', can you believe that? The hotel is amazing too; it has a huge pool on the very top floor with a glass roof and at night it's _gorgeous_… I wish my friends could have come…

I've booked myself in for this tour of the city tomorrow, then there's this baseball game going on which everyone says is the biggest event of this local festival they're setting up for which I'm going to go see. It starts pretty early and it's kinda late so I guess I'll have to cut this short.

Anyway I'm having a great time here and I really, really appreciate you doing this for me. Tell Derrick I said hi and I'll see you in a week's time.

Bye daddy, love you.

_Message ends._


	8. Recording: Monorail Station

**Two chapters in one day? Well they are logs so they're fairly small.**

**-X-**

_Video file. Estimated time of recording: -02:35:39 before island-scale outbreak._

A young man's face fills the screen, he appears to be in his late teens, and acne on his face appears to be fading gradually. A hand pushes him out of the way, the recorder appears to be on a monorail coach with several other people.

–Off-screen, female– 'Hey, what's up people, this is your favourite vid-caster Gee-FortyFour bringing you another round of breath-taking stunts and –'

–Off-screen, male– 'Hey, Kirsty I can see your house from here.'

–Off-screen, female, hushed– 'Shut _up _Alan,' –voice resumes its previous tone– 'and death-defying leaps of faith. I hope you viewers are ready cause this time we're taking you on a scenic tour of our very own Elspeth City.'

The camera turns, passing the youth from before who waves energetically, trying to stay in the shot before the recorder turns the camera on the city. The monorail sits a good ten metres above ground level, cars, pedestrians and the odd cyclist dot the bustling street below. Skyscrapers dominate the skyline, rising well above the assorted retail and department stores, cafes and fast-food restaurants that line the street.

–Off-screen, female– 'Joining me today is my good friend and editor, Alan 'FrostyZipper' Buick.'

The camera pans away from the city around to the youth from before, who appears more composed than before. He's dressed in a grey Superdry T-shirt and black tracksuit pants and appears to have an athletic build. He gives a casual two-fingered salute and it's clear he's holding back from bursting out laughing.

–Off-screen, female– 'Once the monorail stops at Highbridge District, we'll get off and we'll show you guys something that'll leave you slack-jawed and stupefied.'

'Yeah, if we don't fuck up and fall to our deaths.'

–Off-screen, female– 'Alan, stop talking please.'

The youth, Alan, holds up his hands in mock surrender and turns his attention outside to the city around them. The recorder lowers the camera and switches it off.

_Recording ends temporarily._

The camera is switched on again; the monorail has stopped at the station and the recorder and Alan step off the coach. The recorder pans the camera about the station as people board the coach.

–Off-screen, female– 'Alright folks, here we are. The bustling, busy, sleepless Highbridge district, me and Alan here will be travelling across…' the camera pans across a parking lot to an apartment building, to what appears to be a casino, before finally resting on a shopping centre, 'these rooftops here, by far our longest route yet.'

The camera lowers, pointing at the floor.

–Off-screen, female, barely audible over the noise of the crowd around them– 'Alright, Alan. Where we headed from here?'

–Off-screen, male, barely audible over the noise of the crowd around them– 'If I remember right it's down the staircase here then… hey! Watch out!'

The recorder is knocked around, a yelp of surprise can be heard and the recorder falls to the ground.

–Off-screen, female– 'Hey! Watch where you're… oh shit… hey, mister, you okay?'

The camera focuses on a man in business attire who appears to have collapsed on the ground; the crowd surrounds him, unsure of what to do. Soon a woman picks her way through the crowd before kneeling in front of the man, she appears to be Turkish in origin, wearing a sky blue button-up shirt, black flats, a brown belt and dark tights.

'Excuse me? Sir?'

The woman presses her fingers against the man's wrist, feeling for a pulse.

'He's still alive. Peter? Where are you?' she calls. A man stumbles through the crowd and crouches down close to her. The Turkish woman gives some instructions to him and the man hurriedly nods before reaching into his pocket and taking out a phone, dialling a number.

–Off-screen, male, hushed– 'Hey, Kirsty we should get out of here…'

The camera shakes suddenly, stopping after a brief moment, remaining focused on the unconscious man and the woman trying to gauge what exactly is wrong with him. Her attention is suddenly drawn to the camera and its recorder. A flash of disgust draws across her exotic features before she turns back to the casualty. Her friend, Peter is on the phone, presumably giving details to the Emergency Services.

The man spasms suddenly; the woman jumps in surprise and her friend pauses on the phone to help her up. The crowd backs away a step. The Turkish woman dusts herself off before crouching down next to the casualty, whose eyes flicker open.

'Hello? Are you feeling alright? You collapsed all of a sudden and… what's wrong with your –?'

She is cut off as the casualty suddenly jumps for her throat, rasping and clawing at her. The woman shrieks in surprise and tries to fight him off. Her friend, Peter steps in to aid her, sliding his arm around the crazy man's neck and attempting to drag him back. Another man from the crowd – who are beginning to panic – steps forward to try and prise the attacker's grip off the woman.

–Off-screen, female– 'Holy shit! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!'

The struggling crazy suddenly sinks his teeth into the hand of the other man who came to help. He cries out in pain and releases the wild man, clutching his hand which is bleeding profusely. Peter begins to lose his own grip as he tires from the casualty's violent, wild throes.

He lets go.

The crazy man stumbles forward before turning suddenly. His eyes are clouded over, as if he'd died recently. People begin to truly panic and are running in all directions away from the scene. Peter and the Turkish woman leave, Peter dialling rapidly on his phone, Alan can be heard faintly, screaming for them to get off the station.

The crazy man turns to the recorder. He takes a slow step forward, his arms raised; a guttural moan escapes his throat. Kirsty screams as he stumbles forwardly suddenly, teeth gnashing. A flailing arm strikes the camera and the screen goes dark.

_End of recording._


	9. EPD Interrogation: E Rodd

**Still got two open slots for the mercs… you know what, if I come back from Tobago in roughly 16 days' time or so and those slots are still open then I'm just going to have them as nondescript gas-mask mooks who'll be killed off in the first few paragraphs, thereby making the four survivors look badass by comparison.**

**-X-**

_Audio Extract. Elspeth Police Department Interrogation. Subject: Ellen Rodd_

BROOKS: Not bad.

SCOTT: I suppose. Not a big fan of the whole 'ice queen' charade though. Scar put me off a little too.

BROOKS: To each his own. Anyway, what exactly did you bring me down here for Andrew?

SCOTT: She… makes me uneasy Ellie.

BROOKS: Told you not to call me that when we're on duty.

SCOTT: Sorry.

BROOKS: Hm. So what exactly has the talented young up and coming Detective so worried? She a terrorist or something? You find a bomb or detonator?

–SCOTT laughs humorlessly–

SCOTT: Yeah, if only it was that exciting. No. Here, take a look at the report from the Officer who brought her in.

–Sound of rustling paper–

BROOKS: Mhm… mhm… really? Three guys? Huh… well if what Rory says here is true then those punks deserved it as far as I'm aware.

SCOTT: That's the thing though – it's not.

BROOKS: And the basis for this is…?

SCOTT: The fact that I was there when it happened.

BROOKS: Okay… so why did Rory write this and not you?

SCOTT: I was about to put a lid on it when Kelham pulled me and two others off for this other lady we brought in. Seemed even crankier than usual, whoever it was she must've terrified him.

BROOKS: My heart bleeds.

SCOTT: Anyway, this woman… Ellen Rodd. She was waiting outside the airport for a cab or something – take her to a hotel I guess…

BROOKS: You were watching her? I thought you said that –

SCOTT: Yeah, I did. Scar, you know? Don't see them on all that many people, especially not on women, and rarely on full display like that. Caught my attention for a bit.

BROOKS: Anyway; what happened?

SCOTT: These kids come up to her – scars must've appealed to 'em or something, maybe they're into the cold-blooded types I dunno – and they start hitting on her. Cheesy pick-up lines, offers for a smoke, a drink, the works. Nothing more than that, she didn't even look like she was that fazed by it; just kept that same, frosty mask on. Then she turns as a cab pulls up and one of 'em goes after her but drops his lighter, and as he reaches for it, his hand brushes her leg.

BROOKS: And that's when –

SCOTT: Oh yeah. Those poor kids didn't stand a chance. First guy was on the floor with a bleeding skull in a snap. Other two rush in to defend their friend and she takes them down. Don't think I knew people could move like that. And the way she did it too… she didn't look angry or anything, just kept that same blank look on her face like it's another day at the office. That's when I tried to go in, and when Kelham called me over.

BROOKS: Interesting… Well, shall we go greet our guest then?

SCOTT: You first.

–The two enter the interrogation room–

BROOKS: Miss Rodd?

–Silence, Brooks sighs–

BROOKS: You know this'll all be over much quicker if you just speak to us.

E. RODD: Yes… can I help you?

BROOKS: That's more like it. Now, you're here because Andrew here tells me you attacked those three boys back at the airport unprovoked.

E. RODD: So I'm supposed to let them feel me up?

SCOTT: I was there ma'am. Kid dropped a lighter, brushed your leg as he bent down to get it.

E. RODD: Isn't that convenient?

SCOTT: I'll admit, it's sketchy at best and you'd have been well within your right to call him out on it… it was _not_ your right to send both him and his two buddies to hospital.

E. RODD: Okay so where exactly were you when all this was going down, seeing how you were there and all?

SCOTT: I didn't think you'd react so violently to some horny ankle-biter touching you. Most people would kick up a fuss sure, but nothing like what you did.

BROOKS: You know what those kids are facing? One fractured skull, one serious concussion, two broken arms and no less than four cracked ribs between the three of them. To make things worse for you is that one of them was diagnosed with internal bleeding; he's going to need surgery to sort that out.

E. RODD: Sounds expensive.

SCOTT: You–! Haaahh –sighs heavily–

BROOKS: Just curious; but what exactly was going through your head before you decided to deck those kids?

E. RODD: I thought they hadn't taken my disinterest particularly kindly. Thought they were going to stop me. I took them down because if I didn't then I didn't think I'd hear the end of it.

SCOTT: Oh you're definitely not going to hear the end of this.

E. RODD: In fairness though; I acted rashly. I understand that, but I will make no apologies for actions I took in – at the time – what I believed was self-defence.

BROOKS: That was the fancy kung-fu you busted out?

E. RODD: It's much more than just that… but yes.

…

BROOKS: So where did you learn to do all that? You take classes as a kid or something? You don't look very old to me.

E. RODD: I took a lot of classes, yes. My father encouraged me to do it. Then when he died three years ago I started travelling, learning all kinds of different styles.

SCOTT: What are you, some kind of travelling Shaolin monk?

E. RODD: If that's what you want to call me, fine.

…

BROOKS: You like fighting don't you? I'd have though most schools were against using techniques for the thrill of it.

E. RODD: If you think I went around starting fights with random passers-by then you're greatly mistaken. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the heat of a fight, I find it actually rather soothing. Work out some stress.

BROOKS: You like fighting then why not join the military? Sure you'd get plenty of that.

E. RODD: I don't take particularly kindly to being told what to do. The whole 'camaraderie' thing doesn't appeal either. I prefer being alone; no one to poke their nose into my business.

BROOKS: Right…

–Scott clears his throat loudly–

SCOTT: If you two are done then –

–He is cut off as an alarm bell sounds off, Scott and Brooks' walkie-talkies squawk into life and the pair listen for a few minutes before stowing the devices away–

BROOKS: We need to wrap this up.

SCOTT: What, let her go? No disrespect to either of you but I don't think that's a very good idea

BROOKS: Chief says we're needed on the streets with the riot officers ASAP. We don't have much of a choice besides locking her in here.

SCOTT: I'm all for that plan. Look at her Ellie, listen to her; she's dangerous.

BROOKS: She said she realises she acted rashly.

SCOTT: Oh that changes everything then, doesn't it?

E. RODD: Uh… who's that?

–the two stop arguing, silence reigns–

SCOTT: Randy? Is that… Jesus what the hell happened? It looks like –

–There is a rasping, feral growl, followed by rapid footsteps. Sounds of a struggle break out, moments in, Scott cries out in pain–

BROOKS: Scott! Oh Jesus!

SCOTT (agonised): Fucking hell Ellie just shoot him he's insane! Shoot him! Goddamnit shoot–!

–A gunshot echoes throughout the room, Scott pants for a moment, regaining his breath and hissing in pain–

SCOTT: Thanks… thanks… Goddamnit, god_damnit _that smarts. He _bit _me… he goddamn _bit _me. What was wrong with him? I… he seemed fine this morning and now he just… bites me.

BROOKS: You're going into shock Andrew. Hold on I'll get you something.

E. RODD: Um. Excuse me? Any chance you can get me out of these? I might be able to help you search.

…

SCOTT: Godfuckingdamnit… fine. Do it Ellie.

–Rattle of keys, a click of handcuffs opening and clattering as they fall to the ground–

E. RODD: Thanks… that's pretty uncomfortable.

BROOKS: Yeah don't think rubbing them'll get your circulation going any quicker. Best to use your other hand until it gets better. Come on; give me a hand with Scott.

E. RODD: Okay…

–Scott is lifted to his feet–

SCOTT: You got pretty rough hands.

E. RODD: Bite me.

SCOTT: Not my type.

E. RODD: … you know I can easily just drop you here.

SCOTT: Alright, alright. My bad. Just help me out of here so we can find something to stop this bleeding so much…

–The three step out of the room, their voices quickly fading into the distance–

_/End of Audio Excerpt_

**-X-**

**Not really that big on this one. I think I did better dialogue-wise than the other log like this but re-using this concept rankles if I'm being completely honest.**

**In other news (and tying somewhat into what I said at the start) I go off on holiday with a couple of friends and my favourite girl on Earth this week. Will likely not have access to the internet, I'm not going to be taking my laptop and I don't have an iPad or anything fancy like that, meaning the next update for this will most certainly not be any time soon. In the meantime, go check out Wandering Letters' Finding the Haven if you want to see some OC-on-BOW survivalist action.**

**Cheers**


	10. Extracted G&G File: TG&G01b 'Akula'

_Extract from 'The Corporate Reality' by Cassdy Straum, Section 4: Grant & Glukhovsky Files_

**CS: I've decided to jot down my own thoughts and opinions on the files you'll see in this particular article where I deem appropriate. I confess though that much of the jargon and terminology used escapes me, as such, please excuse my ignorance where biology, virology or chemistry are concerned.**

Subject: TG&G-01b 'Akula'

Biology: The 01b (or as Mr. Glukhovsky himself dubbed it; the 'Akula' which Bartlett tells me is Russian for 'shark') has a unique physiology. It stands at roughly three metres tall. Most subjects appear to take on a pallid, almost corpse-like skin tone, though my associates in other institutions on the island tell me that they have observed specimens who take on a crimson appearance. **(CS: The specimen we fought at the airport was crimson and also bled profusely when we shot at it, perhaps this appearance is caused by an excess of blood pumping through its body?)**

The model's most distinctive feature would be its aquiline head. Sharp, angular until you get to its maw, which is lined with tiny, razor sharp teeth; it looks almost like a lamprey mouth. **(CS: and we witnessed exactly how sharp these teeth are first-hand – It chewed and grinded its way through sheet metal in mere moments)** In concordance with its large size it possess extraordinary strength, able to pummel through concrete, most sheet metals and even bend steel with little noticeable effort. The beast also possesses astoundingly competent vision; water and the night hold no secrets before its eyes, though the trade-off appears to be extreme photosensitivity – exposing it suddenly to bright light can potentially blind the Akula. **(CS: Extremely valuable information to any who encounter the creature; we led it outside as we fled the airport and upon bursting into the sunlight the creature behaved strangely, as if it were blinded.) **Further sensory data shows that the beast – unfortunately – possesses no great sense of smell, so I believe we will _not _be using this model as a hunting beast as Mr. Glukhovsky wished. Hearing appears only mildly above human, and it seems to have no sense of touch – meaning no pain in all likelihood.

Within the 01b's innards, organs reside in a similar layout to that of a regular, healthy human being, though all these organs – save the heart – are practically redundant, and the Akula can function perfectly well without them. What appears like a tumour at first glance just below the creature's ribcage, sitting just above the liver and next to the stomach, is actually a secondary heart. The development of this organ is most likely due to the modified strain of the Umbrella Corp. T-Virus. Unfortunately no experiments or tests we have conducted have confirmed whether or not this organ can take over should the primary heart fail or be destroyed.

A tail – much akin to a Great White Shark's (which I'm sure is where its moniker came from) albeit lacking in scales, instead covered with the model's skin – extends just a little over eight feet in length. The model uses it for balance, but two long spines can extend from the 'rear fins' of the tail. These spines are coated with a paralyzing toxin, it's incredibly fast-acting and long-lasting – why just yesterday one of ours stung Meadows and the poor sod dropped within a minute… we were lucky to get him out alive. **(CS: What the researcher fails to note is that said toxin is also fatal should it find itself too close to the heart upon infection. Like the paralysis, this comes incredibly quickly, much too fast to be able to feasibly counteract the toxin in any meaningful way)**

Behavioural pattern: The Akula is – as with most of the specimens – a very temperamental beast, attacking both human targets and even other BOWs such as the Umbrella lickers or the undead created by the T-Virus. We've managed to reel in the actions of a couple of the creatures with the use of a special device but the parts and manufacture cost… well… let's just say that I could retire and live in luxury for the rest of my life off the money it takes to create half a dozen such machines. Generally the beast lunges for its target with its sizeable forearms, grabbing them before grinding them in its lamprey mouth, or simply slashing them with its claws.

Prey that lodges itself in positions that are difficult to reach will find themselves on the business end of its wicked tail, which slithers like a snake through nooks as if it has a mind of its own; disgusting to be sure, but useful. The Akula feels no pain, meaning it could be used as a shock trooper for an invading force, sowing chaos and confusion while the troops move in to clean up. However modifications to future specimens will need to focus on its optical receptors as its photosensitivity represents a severe problem as is.

Counter-measures: Currently the Akula is – in essence – a walking tank. It feels no pain, is immensely strong and very suited to shock attacks. However bright light blinds it and the specimen has merely average hearing and next to no sense of smell. When dealing with a rampaging specimen; the best course of action I would recommend would be to blind it by shining a flashlight into its eye – and I do not recommend such a dangerous course of action unless the specimen is distracted. Failing that, luring it into bright sunshine should do the job satisfactorily, or – if the guards you sent our way are sufficiently equipped – one could simply toss a flashbang or stun grenade in its path. You would of course, need to make sure the creature is watching though…

_End of excerpt_


	11. The Charnel House

**Oh man that was amazing. The guys and I had an all-round brilliant time. And to celebrate a fantastic holiday and a safe return; here's the next chapter for you all, plus a little log detailing a new foe.**

**-X-**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Four: The Charnel House**

The Survivors

The dead woman's skull caved, and a morbid painting blossomed underneath the creature's head. Sydney cringed, taking a staggered step away from the kill. The specks of dried blood that matted her black hoodie and her dirty blonde hair spoke that it was far from the first creature she had to put down. She hated this. Hated it with every fibre of her being.

She was a whirlwind of emotions, and she was sure the others weren't much better, though others certainly seemed better at concealing it. Ellen was an icicle given human form, and Sydney reckoned if she lost the cold glower she wore like a glove she'd seem like a halfway decent woman. Kit seemed nice – if a little unwilling to talk – and he'd watched out for her when they had met in the city. Tiffany too seemed perfectly likeable and seemed to have taken up the mantle of 'leader' which, honestly, suited Sydney just fine. She'd also noticed the glances she and Kit had been trading – well if they decided to act on anything Sydney wished them both the best of luck… though she had doubts about whether or not a relationship during a localised apocalypse was really the wisest idea, particularly seeing how one of the parties appeared to make the decisions.

Randolf was a more mixed bag and Sydney really wasn't entirely comfortable around him. Fortunately Cassidy seemed to have taken up the role of guardian and was rarely far away, which she was thankful for, especially in the present situation. She liked the look of Sema, who appeared nervous and wary of the current situation and probably the most human of the group. Leah seemed a little stuck up and self-absorbed for her liking, but supposed that as long as she focused on surviving with the rest of them she could deal. Ethan… now he was pretty messed up. She didn't know what had happened to make him start imagining his best friend was in his head and she severely doubted that she _wanted _to know. He seemed grouchy and crabby on the best of circumstances and outright rude at the worst.

She craned her head and found the recent addition, chambering a few shells into her shotgun. She wasn't sure what to think of Marissa. She seemed a decent shot but otherwise she was an unknown factor. Her first reaction was to distrust her, but then she realised that she'd known everyone else for less than a day and already she trusted three at least with her life. She told herself she was being irrational. Trust would come. Marissa would be fine, she told herself.

A hand thrust through an open car window and Sydney shrieked in surprise, backing away suddenly, losing her balance and falling to the floor. Another of the dead reached for her, snarling and grabbing. A kukri severed the limb at the elbow.

'You okay?' Sema asked, evidently trying her best not to look at the limb steadily bleeding on the ground.

'Yeah… yeah I think s– ow!' she started as a sharp sting pricked her hand. Raising it to her face she saw that it was cut. Broken glass littered the road where her hand had fallen.

Sema was on it in an instant. Her nervousness, timidity and rabbit-in-the-headlights attitude vanished, replaced by someone who clearly knew what she was doing.

'Hold that up and stay still,' Sydney obeyed, frozen by the sudden authority Sema's voice wielded.

The Turkish woman took a gentle hold of her hand and checked the injury.

'Doesn't seem like there's any dirt in the wound…' she murmured before glancing at the shards of glass on the road, picking up a bloody piece of broken glass.

'Looks clean…' Sema said to herself. She glanced at Sydney's hand, then the glass again and frowned.

'Probably better safe than sorry. Keep that hand raised, I'm going to give you something for that cut.' She reached into a pack and retrieved what seemed like a small bag of herbs. Sydney gave her a questioning look.

'Oh don't give me that,' Sema said pointedly, rolling her eyes, 'they're herbs used for medicine. Load of them around Raccoon City that worked like magic... well until the whole place got bombed to dust that is,' she snorted as she drew the herb from the packet before crushing it and mixing it into paste with some water as best she could.

'Fortunately some bright spark took some out of the area. Not quite as plentiful as they were in Racoon so I'm told but you can still find the odd herb here and there… you wouldn't _believe _the amount of times I've been pulled in by the Police for possession of these wonderful plants. Oh well…' she trailed off as she applied the paste to Sydney's cut.

'And… there! All good. Now don't soak it for at least an hour or you'll wash it all away and I'll have to do it all over again, and I don't have a whole lot of these things.' Sydney nodded in acquiescence.

'You sure know a lot about this stuff,' Sydney said as she admired Sema's handiwork.

'I'm a nurse. Been into medicine since I was a little kid,' she explained, then stopped as she realised that Randolf was giving her a funny look.

'What?' she asked, not a little irritated by his attention. Randolf held his hands up in a placating gesture, backing away before turning to see if anyone else needed help. He glanced back at Sema before strolling further down the highway to find the others – or the other women. Sema sighed.

'Sometimes I wonder why we keep him around…' she muttered.

'Safety in numbers?' Sydney offered. Sema gave her a patronising smile and shook her head before getting up and heading off after the others. Sydney scampered after her, catching up quickly.

The group made headway through the highway. Pausing occasionally in order to hunker down out of sight of large groups of undead that shambled through the area. Kit and Ellen took point; the latter being almost incorporeal in her reconnaissance much to Kit's muted chagrin.

Eventually Ellen doubled back with Kit in tow, notifying the group that the airport was in sight, and there didn't seem to be much activity around it. Encouraged, the assorted survivors made all possible haste towards the comforting entrance of the airport, entering through the south terminal.

**-X-**

'I'm not hearing any planes taking off,' Ellen murmured.

'Maybe they're waiting for more survivors?' Sydney offered, though it was clear even she didn't entirely believe her own words. No one gave her an answer.

The entrance to the main terminal was blockaded by dozens, hundreds of bags and other assorted luggage of all different colours. It made for quite a spectacle, but otherwise impeded their progress towards safety.

'Well, keep a careful footing and we should be able to climb over this,' Tiffany said as she observed the barricade. It seemed to have been put together in a hurry; hand and footholds were everywhere. She supposed that the shambling undead lacked the motor skills to climb so it was probably secure on the other side. They sent everyone over one by one until they were all inside the main terminal. The place was a splatterhouse; blood coated almost every surface in the terminal and a few ghastly severed limbs could be seen amidst the carnage.

'I don't think we're getting an evac here…' Ethan said dryly, 'Marcus says this place reeks of trouble and I believe him. We say that we get out. Now.' He added.

'I think I actually agree with the crazy person,' Ellen said, warily observing the post-security shops and restaurants. An eerie calm had settled over the place and she didn't like it one bit.

Tiffany was about to make a decision when a loud roar echoed from behind the barricade of luggage. Seconds later the barricade exploded; bags and suitcases flew in all directions as something _big _tore through the barrier like it wasn't even there.

The creature was blood-crimson, standing well over three metres tall. A lean, aquiline head crowned its massive barrel chest, a maw; filled with dagger sharp teeth like a lamprey's drooled as if it were starving for a meal. Two beady, dark, dumb eyes took position on opposite sides of its head. It arms were thick as tree trunks and its sandpapery hands ended in wicked, curved claws. A scale-less tail – almost like that of a shark's – extended roughly more than a metre behind the creature, and two spines protruding from behind the 'fins' perched on the edge of the limb quivered strangely.

The monster paused for a moment, taking in its surroundings before its head rested in the survivors' direction. It froze.

'Any plan you guys have you better share it now,' Randolf said, an edge of rising panic to his voice, 'preferably one that doesn't involve trying to slap that thing with a boat paddle.'

As if Randolf's words threw a switch in the creature, it bellowed and charged, covering several metres in as many seconds.

'Run like hell!' Tiffany shouted, turning on her heel and pelting through the terminal. The rest followed in short order, pumping their legs as fast as they could as the monster behind barrelled after them, eager for their blood.

They dived through a corridor leading to one of the terminal gates; the monster however, was gaining ground. Pivoting on her foot suddenly, Tiffany spun and unloaded four bullets into the monster, and with the size of it she could hardly miss. Blood streamed from four neat holes but the creature continued its charge, ignoring the wounds entirely. Tiffany cursed under her breath and resumed her sprint.

An all too familiar groan echoed up ahead and the survivors ground to a halt.

'Oh you are fucking kidding me,' Leah swore in between breaths.

'I guess now we know why the place was quiet,' Ellen muttered darkly.

A swarm of the dead lay inside the gates, blood, bullet holes and wounds on some of the creatures told the group that some sort of last stand had evidently been made in this gate. All for naught it seemed as the dead appeared to number in the hundreds. Meanwhile the monster drew ever closer, its poundings footsteps getting uncomfortably louder and its slavering breath drawing in pitch.

'Back the other way, fast!' Tiffany ordered.

'Are you crazy?! That thing's right on our heels!' Leah yelled, panic beginning to set in.

'We'll split into two groups and both will dive down its left and right sides. If it's as smart as I think it is that should confuse it and let us slip past.'

'What if you're wrong?' Ellen asked pointedly, fingering the trigger of her revolver.

'Then it was nice knowing you,' Tiffany replied dryly, 'now form up! We've gotten this far and I'll be damned if I let it end here like this!'

The monster drew closer; Tiffany locked eyes with it for an instant. Its eyes were darker than the abyss, but she saw nothing she interpreted as intellect.

'He who fights monsters…' she mused to herself as she glanced at the undead to her rear. They had nothing to fear from them, being slow and dim creatures. A simple jog would be enough to outpace them.

The creature was barely ten metres away from them now. It drew a thick arm up, prepared to bring it crashing down on its luckless victims.

'_Go!_' Tiffany bellowed at the top of her voice. The two groups dashed forwards.

The monster stalled, its hand wavered, its eyes darted between the two groups, its pea-sized brain going into overdrive trying to process what was happening in front of it. Tiffany felt a surge of vindication and triumph as she saw Randolf, Marissa, Sydney and Cassidy slip past the beast. She had been right and her tactic had worked! But they weren't out of the woods yet. They'd made it past the monster but as soon as they bunched up it would attack again.

A bellowing roar behind them, followed by a series of sickening crunches and ripping noises made her turn her head. Her eyes widened in disbelief; the monster was laying into the undead. Ripping and tearing their rotting bodies apart with rapid swings of its brutal claws. It picked one of the dead up and tossed it into its gaping maw, its razor teeth shredding meat and bone and in mere seconds the monster had swallowed the dead person.

Tiffany resisted the urge to throw up. Leah and Sema didn't. Even Ellen looked more than a little queasy at the sight.

'Come on. While it's distracted,' Tiffany urged, motioning for everyone to follow her.

Leaving the carnage behind, the group delved deeper into the airport in hopes of finding a way off the island, or – failing that – a safer means of exiting.

**-X-**

'How big is this place?' Leah wondered aloud as they trudged through another terminal.

'Four terminals plus runway and a lot of lounges,' Ellen stated. Everyone looked at her.

'I landed here for my vacation.' She said as if that explained everything.

'It doesn't matter, let's find an aircraft and take off out of this place before that thing decides it's done playing with dead things,' Ethan interjected, sounding even more grouchy than usual.

No sooner had he finished speaking when an uncomfortably familiar roar echoed throughout the terminal, followed by a screech of tortured metal.

'Too late,' Ellen thought aloud, her voice as dark as her mood.

'We need to find cover. Everybody continue through the terminal, we'll find an exit onto the runway and see if we can find a vehicle!' Once more Tiffany led the group, her handgun primed, though she likely didn't have many bullets left in the weapon.

They rounded a corner, cutting past a fast food restaurant, movement attracted the attention of those bringing up the rear but the survivors in front couldn't react fast enough. A member of the undead stumbled out of the restaurant, reaching for Tiffany, latching onto her arm with its own and pushing her to the ground. It snarled and snapped; its grip like iron and Tiffany found herself unable to bring her weapon to bear without giving the dead man an opening to her throat. Further compounding matters was the appearance of yet more of the dead, shambling out from within the eatery.

One of the dead reached for Ellen, who sidestepped out of its clumsy path and swept the undead's legs out from under it before burying her knife in the back of its cranium. Kit barrelled past his opponent, knife in one hand, crowbar in the other. Stabbing the knife into the shoulder of the zombie, he forced it to its knees before bringing the crowbar crashing down onto its head, ending the threat permanently. He slid the knife out of the undead's shoulder, then ran for Tiffany, who was being approached by three more of the dead.

Several gunshots rang out behind him as he ran for the young Marine Captain; the closest of the dead leaned forward to take a bite out of her arm, and with the dead man still grabbing and biting there was precious little she could do to prevent it. Kit vaulted over a crawling undead and tackled the first undead to the ground, slamming a knife into an eye socket before leaping to his feet to face the others, one of whom had turned to shamble after him. He easily avoided its clumsy grab and hooked the curve of his crowbar around a leg, yanking it backwards and tripping the creature. A two-handed blow silenced the undead and he turned to the beleaguered Tiffany who was now desperately trying to fend off two of the undead.

Rushing over, he pulled one off before delivering a vicious back-handed blow with his weapon, breaking its jaw and staggering the undead. Meanwhile Tiffany – whose arm was now free – raised her handgun to the creature attempting to chew through her boot. A squeeze of the trigger and her boot's attacker was no longer an issue. Resighting, she put the sight to the staggering undead that Kit had attacked and squeezed again. Half the creature's skull disappeared in a puff of blood and the monster dropped.

The engagement had taken less than a minute, and a little more than a dozen of the dead had been fought off. Cassidy held Sydney at her side, her own firearm smoking; two still corpses lay in front of the pair. Randolf, Ethan, Sema and Leah stood before four more bodies, one violently battered, another dismembered, a third decapitated and the fourth possessing a gaping hole in its head. Marissa was chambering more shells for her weapon, three shredded corpses pooled out in front of her. Kit observed her reloading, wondering exactly where she kept all her ammunition, then shook his head, deciding it didn't matter before extending a hand to Tiffany.

'Need some help?' he asked casually. Tiffany took the proffered limb and allowed him to help haul her to her feet.

'Keep stuff like that up and you'll have someone fall for you handsome,' Tiffany joked lightly. The ghost of a grin tugged at Kit's lips and he shrugged.

'Thanks by the way.'

'Not a problem, got to stick together to survive,' Kit replied casually.

The group took a moment to take stock of their situation, only to hear the moans of more of the dead.

'Goddamnit, that shooting gallery stirred up the entire fucking hive!' Ethan cursed bitterly.

'We'll keep moving, otherwise they'll corner us,' Tiffany started, all playfulness gone. The soldier was back with gusto.

'If I may?' Marissa asked, shouldering her long weapon. The group turned to her.

'I've not been here long –' she started.

She stopped suddenly, her face contorting into a myriad of different emotions before finally settling on surprise. There was something different about her appearance too, there was blood and –

'Oh…' someone murmured, half-shocked.

A spine was protruding through Marissa's torso, just above her heart. The woman shuddered as she raised a hand to touch the spine, which shivered at her touch. Suddenly her hand fell slack at her side and her legs gave out.

No sooner had this happened when she was wrenched skyward. Turning their gaze upward they found the monster from before, its hands and mouth wet with blood and its tail raising the impaled woman to its slavering maw.

'Oh now how the _hell _did _that _thing sneak up on us like that!' Randolf bellowed in frustration.

'Really doesn't matter! Leg it!' Ethan roared as he turned tail and fled, the others needed no motivation, though leaving Marissa to be eaten by the monster rankled with some of them; they had no firepower capable of so much as tickling the beast and chances were that her sudden impalement had killed her anyway.

It still didn't make the sickening crunching of bone and the spattering of blood any easier to bear…

The Mercenaries

The Plexiglas roof of the mall exploded and seven figures dropped into the centre of the mall on rappel lines. Licker BOWs stirred and screeched at the noise before crawling towards its source, eager for flesh, eager to kill.

Grey Team disconnected themselves from the lines as soon as they had touched down, which fled back through their opening. Immediately following this, the leader of Grey Team turned towards two members of his team who appeared practically unarmed in comparison with the rest of her unit; the first being a woman holding a mere pistol, with a tranquiliser gun resting in another holster. The other was clearly young, too young for this line of work, but there was a calm demeanour about him suggesting that he knew what he was doing. The young man was armed with a silenced machine pistol and, strangely, an M1832 Artillery short sword strapped to his waist.

'Natalia, Tech. I want schematics and data on the lab in this building. I also want a list of names; who worked here, where are they and in what condition.' The two members of Grey nodded. Natalia – a woman in her late twenties with dyed red hair worn in a tight bun – retrieved a data pad from a pouch on her combat bodysuit and connected it to her teammate Tech's custom-built data mask; a strange piece of headgear fashioned after the serial killer from the Scream franchise.

'We're in,' Natalia intoned, watching the screen of her pad and manipulating the touch screen accordingly. Elias gave a questioning look to Tech, who nodded in affirmation.

'I'm through the firewalls; Tech's grabbing the info now. Just keep those things off us while we work.'

'Weapons up,' Elias barked to the other four members of the mercenary squad. Grey Team – combat instincts honed to perfection – raised their respective weapons.

'Hold fire,' Elias growled, watching the first of the BOWs lurch into view, the creature paused as if sensing a threat. The skinless creature sniffed the air before pulling its thin lips back into a bestial snarl, exposing its long, dagger teeth. More appeared, some crawling along the walls, most travelling on the floor of the shopping mall, their claws creating little scratches on the stone as they moved with haste.

Elias waited until the dumb beasts were no more than twenty-five metres away before thumbing his headset.

'Weapons free!'

A veritable cascade of gunfire filled the mall. Lickers were shredded to the bone by bullets, shot and slugs. The first wave of lickers was reduced to a grisly parade of flesh and bone in seconds.

'Hold fire!' the gunfire ceased abruptly. The next wave of Lickers hissed and screeched, some of which had been wounded in the one-sided exchange.

'Grenades!' Five fragmentation grenades were unclipped in an instant and the lethal little devices primed. Two seconds passed before they were tossed in unison into the midst of the seething press of BOWs.

The explosions tore many Lickers from their feet, bowling them through the air. Shrapnel shredded many more. The ground floor of the mall was a river of flowing blood and ruined flesh. Some of the BOWs still moved though. Elias frowned at the survivors before craning his head at another member of Grey Team; a woman in similarly dark combat gear with blonde hair that fell a little above her shoulders. She seemed almost too small to be a professional killer.

'Alaina. I want those BOWs dust,' Elias ordered, his voice thick like gravel.

'With gusto,' the petite mercenary replied, her Irish brogue thick and heavy. With practised ease she unclipped several devices from her dark gear before priming them and tossing them once more into the midst of the surviving BOWs, one bounced off the head of a Licker and the creature hissed threateningly at the blipping explosive.

'Ka–' Alaina started…

Then hell opened up on Earth.

'–boom.'

The ground before the young woman was a sizzling crater. Meat giblets littered the area, and the stone floor of the mall not cracked by the explosion was painted with blood.

Elias nodded in appreciation before turning back to the two members of Grey who hadn't participated in the wholesale BOW massacre. A distant screeching told him more Lickers were likely on the way. He signalled for Grey to assume a defensive formation around him and the other two.

'Status?' Elias asked, though it sounded more like a demand.

'Almost… and…' Natalia started.

'Done,' Tech finished for her.

'Yeah. Okay, the lab lies inside a Grant & Glukhovsky pharmacy on the ground floor, about fifty metres ahead of us. Tiny lab. A couple of work benches, consoles and… hmm… and a few large test tubes containing Umbrella Licker BOWs. Movement in the lab too, mostly pacing around the entrance. Unlikely to be human,'

'Personnel?'

This time it was Tech who answered.

'Doctor Emanuel Cortez; spotted in New Rynn City by local security footage. Killed by a PDF trooper – looks like an accident. Doctor Marcus Paisley; also spotted in New Rynn City. Infected; no longer a problem. Professor Kendal Chambers; reported killed in the first hour of the outbreak. Chief technician Julie Winters; sighted in Faraquay City. Deceased. Technician Rhys Winters; also sighted in Faraquay with his wife. Deceased.'

Tech listed off more names than Elias cared to hear, all of them were dead or about to be. Finally he reached the last name on the checklist.

'Finally we have Laborotary Assistant Paulina Sanders; spotted just on the outskirts of New Rynn City. Heading for the docks with a small group of other known, recognised Grant & Glukhovsky personnel… accompanied by unknown individuals; heavily armed and possessing unmarked gear.'

Elias raised a brow behind his gas mask.

'Mercenaries? Like us?'

Tech nodded his head.

'Safe to assume they aren't one of ours?'

'Yes sir. Only team present near New Rynn City is Red Team and their armament is… different,' Tech answered, nodding. He quirked his head.

'Should I call for the chopper? One of our prime directives is –'

'Our prime directive, operator, is to ensure that not a single scrap of evidence linking this disaster to Grant & Glukhovsky leaves this island,' Elias interrupted, his tone harsh, unforgiving, 'that includes facilities, technology, notes and, of course, people. Send word to Red Team of their position and destination. They'll deal with it.' Tech nodded and sent a coded message to the leader of the G&G Red Team. Natalia disconnected her data pad from Tech's mask and stowed it away before drawing her handgun.

'Ready to move sir.'

Tech echoed her words mere moments later, his machine pistol gripped in both hands. Elias nodded and pointed forward with two fingers.

'Move out. Staggered formation. Eyes open; these BOWs can come from anyway.'

The mercenary team moved on, one of them – a man with a long-barrelled PSG1 rifle strapped to his back – stopped by a staircase. Elias noted the activity with a curious glance.

'Hawkeye, report.'

'Somebody set up a barricade on these stairs,' the German sniper observed, taking note of the way various objects were scattered about the staircase, 'do you think it's possible whoever was here gained access to the lab?' he asked.

'It's a possibility,' Elias nodded slowly, turning to Tech and another mercenary dressed in midnight black gear with a strange helmet that seemed almost like a motorcyclists'.

'Tech, get me security footage. Find out if anyone could have entered the laboratory. Viper, you stay with him,' the helmeted mercenary nodded in affirmation, shouldering his carbine and taking a defensive stance next to Tech as he worked his particular brand of magic. He craned his head upwards, observing the floor above them for a moment before glancing to Felix 'Hawkeye' Jäger.

'Hawkeye, you and Alaina set up shop upstairs. Check the stores for survivors. If you see any, interrogate them. If they resist, you know what to do.'

One member of the team who Elias had not yet addressed shifted uncomfortably. Elias turned to him and Natalia.

'You two are with me. We'll check the laboratory, move out,'

The mercenaries split off to perform their respective tasks, Tech and Viper took position in a small retail store, Viper keeping his carbine trained on the store entrance. Up above them, Felix and Alaina swept the floor; Felix standing on the opposite side of the mall while keeping Alaina's back covered with his powerful rifle.

The secret entrance to the lab was open. Elias felt himself frown. He signalled for Natalia and the final (and arguably the most vital) member of their team – the medic who went by the callsign 'Ghost' – to stack up on the entrance. The two took position on either side of the entrance, and Elias became aware of a dulled scraping sound.

_Definitely more Licker BOWs._

The small corridor to the lab was empty, the door at the end possessing several punctures. Elias motioned for Ghost and Natalia to cover him, while he moved towards the portal.

The door lurched suddenly, and, within seconds, was pulled off its hinges. A Licker BOW powered towards Elias, its jaws open, hissing its bloodlust.

Elias ducked, allowing the creature to sail over his head. He cursed as he remembered that two of his team were behind him, and that accomplishing their directives would be much more complicated should one – or both of them – fall.

He didn't have to worry about a thing.

Ghost, also known as Jake Burke, reacted first. He sidestepped a brutal swipe of the Licker's claws, colliding with the wall of the corridor before powering away with a jump, rolling away from the BOW. Natalia avoided a sudden thrust by the Licker and stabbed her knife into the creature's back, drawing a pained whine, but not killing the creature. Natalia hopped away from the wounded BOW, her knife slick with its blood.

'Get down,' Elias commanded, levelling his assault rifle at the beast before squeezing the trigger. It took him almost half a magazine, but by the end of it the Licker lay still.

'Thanks,' Ghost said, hauling himself up. Elias said nothing, turning on his heel and entering the laboratory. As Natalia had stated, it was a small lab, appearing only slightly larger than one of Elias' favourite pubs back home.

'Natalia, check the consoles, make sure they're wiped,' Elias told her before thumbing his comms.

'Alaina, Hawkeye. You two finished your sweep of the upper floor?'

It was Alaina who responded.

'Only one more place to go sir but the door's locked pretty tightly. Place is bare.'

'Check anyway, then rendezvous with Viper and Tech downstairs. We'll be done here in a moment.'

Elias turned to a rather large, important looking console and switched it on. A screen flickered to life. Elias reached carefully inside a pouch and retrieved a small data stick before inserting it into an access point. As he observed the program inside the data stick begin its work his comms crackled into life and Tech's voice filled his ears.

'Sir, I have an update. Security footage shows that a group of nine survivors made this mall their home for all of a night before the BOWs broke in. Hard to tell but it seems that one of them entered the Pharmacy, it's possible that she entered the laboratory.' Elias nodded.

'I see. Finish up what you're doing quickly, Alaina and Felix are on their way to your position. Once you meet up with them, make your way to the lab.'

'Solid copy,' the young Canadian replied before signing off.

Five minutes and the mercenaries were assembled outside the mall; the laboratory was a smouldering wreck, with the mall only a button push from collapsing courtesy of a few well-placed explosives from Alaina. Elias reviewed the feed on Natalia's data pad, watching the civilian woman fiddle with a laboratory console before retrieving a data stick, likely loaded with information Grant & Glukhovsky didn't want the public to know.

'Just had a call from the chopper,' Tech said, 'pilots said they saw a group of survivors whose descriptions match those of the people who holed up briefly in the mall. They were headed for the airport.'

Elias grunted, glancing at the skyline of the city before him. Smoke billowed from various fires, screams and the occasional, distant pop of gunfire reverberated through the dying settlement. He checked his magazine, reloading once he saw it was severely depleted and hefted the weapon.

'Grey Team we're moving in pursuit of a group of survivors who possess sensitive data. Upon meeting them we will engage, and we will kill them,' he said simply, keeping an eye on Ghost. The mercenary was deathly still, and Elias knew full well that he had signed up with an entirely different idea of what their mission was in mind.

The others he was certain he could count on, but Ghost… the situation was complex. Had he not been the only one of the team with any medical expertise Elias would have shot the man and be done with it. As it was he was forced to bring him along, and hope that eventually he would see the necessity of their job.

Until that point though, he'd always have a pair of eyes on the wild card.

'Move out,' Elias barked, and the seven mercenaries hauled themselves in the direction of the airport.

**-X-**

**Just a little side note here; entirely off-topic: should any of you find a food chain called 'Benihana' I suggest you take your friends, family or whoever you want and go there for a meal because goddamnit it's one of the finest eateries I've ever dined at, and this comes from someone who really doesn't go for oriental cuisine.**

**On another note I'm absolutely shattered writing this but I think I did a reasonably good job on it. I find that – actually – writing while fatigued brings out the imagination. I have a classmate who writes while half-asleep (and, honestly, I wish I could write even half as well as she can) and the things she jots down is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Incidentally I've also found that writing while in that hazy, half-drunk state works wonders for me. Granted I have to patch up the spelling, grammatical and any other errors I've made the next morning (not to mention that it's going to cost me a fortune in the long run) but I've completed more than one chapter this way.**

**I apologise for what seems like inane rambling but I've been taught and have found little quirks that help me (or people I know who write) to write and write well. There was one rather notable writer who could only do so while standing up completely undressed, and another who could only do it while eating. Point is; when you guys sit down at your screens with your fingers on the keyboard; try something new while you type out your latest brainchild. Have a drink, listen to music, hell, take your underpants off if you're feeling really adventurous (though I'd make sure there's no one else around first). You might find that there's a little quirk or activity you do while you type that clicks for you, makes you write quicker, makes you enjoy doing it more, maybe even makes you better.**

**Thanks. Not just for reading the ravings of a person who – currently – can barely tell up from down I'm so tired, but for being what you are – writers and readers. Without you guys this earth would be rather dull I imagine.**

**Cheers**


	12. New Plan

**Announcement for everybody at the bottom, which should come as no surprise to any of you if you've read the recent chapters of Wandering Letters' FTH.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Six: New Plan**

The Survivors

The gun clicked.

Empty.

_Shit._

Resisting the urge to throw the useless snub-nosed pistol at the charging abomination, Leah turned and sprinted forwards. The others kept pace, though after constant running she noticed that some were beginning to show signs of fatigue, notably the fragile looking teenager, Sydney, Randolf and Ethan, though Cassidy's breathing was also laboured. She squeezed her eyes shut and swore viciously in her head. This was not what she had envisioned at all when she'd arrived on the island alongside hundreds of other tourists.

She was snapped rudely out of her memories as she was pulled aside, both her and her offender sprawled on the ground.

'What gives?' she asked aloud, until her eyes rested on Kit, and the monster that had very nearly engulfed her, the lamprey maw of which was latched onto the wall. It sucked for a moment before ripping its mouth and a chunk of concrete away, which it ground with its teeth before spitting out.

The two didn't wait for it to finish its erstwhile meal, already up on their feet and fleeing further through the terminal with the others.

'I am _sick _of running!' Leah shouted out, frustration boiling within her like a volcano. All they could do was run, the shots they'd landed on the monster hadn't seemed to even tickle it and unless someone was hiding a bazooka somewhere _really _clever there was nothing remotely like the firepower they needed around.

Another bellow boomed from the monster's horrific, slavering maw. It was hungry, and it wouldn't stop until they were nothing but chunks of meat and gristle in its gut. Leah felt panic clutch at her heart, squeezing it in a vice grip. She was going to die here. Everyone was going to die and there would only be a pool of red signifying that they had ever been there.

She stumbled on a dropped handbag. Immediately after she felt a rush of air over her body as the monster's claw grabbed the space she had occupied scant moments ago. A hand hauled her upwards; Kit had come to her rescue again while she'd simply stayed on all fours, dumb to the world around her. She grit her teeth and felt a surge of energy through her limbs. She liked being pampered, made to feel like she was the boss lady but she was _no _damsel in distress (though she was lying if she said she didn't slightly enjoy the attention Kit had shown her, situation aside).

As soon as she had her balance she pulled her hand away from Kit's and pumped her legs even faster, soon overtaking him, much to his surprise.

The monster howled and swung a massive fist, leaving a sizeable crack in the wall. If Leah didn't know better, she'd swear it was almost pissed.

_Well get used it to it; you've got to work for _this _meal._

The young woman threw herself over a row of chairs, which the monster simply crushed under its massive, red feet. They were getting closer and closer to the end of the terminal now and Leah could see the sun beaming at them through the large, tinted windows.

An exit was in sight, and – provided that huge bastard couldn't simply crash through it – it provided a beacon of hope, that their ordeal was almost o–

Was that another roar?

Like the stuff of nightmares, and all but crushing their hopes of safety, another monster lurched into sight. This one was grey-skinned, almost corpse-like, but it looked just as mean as the beast pursuing them, and when it caught sight of them, it bellowed in hunger and charged.

'Oh no…' Randolf moaned in between pants, 'oh no, no, no that just isn't _fair_.'

'Tough it out,' Tiffany snapped at him, though she was beginning to show signs of fatigue as well at this point, 'we're almost out and then…'

'Then _what _Little Miss Fatigues? We're all fucking exhausted! We leave? We die. We stay? We die. We try to fight? Oh you better believe–' Ethan's despairing rant was cut short as Kit slapped him on the back of the head.

'We aren't dead yet,' he told him as he ran, 'we've found a way through everything this place has thrown at us so far, we'll get out of this one.'

'Oh it must be _so _nice being an optimist,' Ethan groaned, now appearing to have given up all hope.

The grey-skinned beast bellowed a challenge through its circular maw –

–and stepped right past the group of survivors, tackling its crimson kin, sending them both sprawling to the ground. The survivors stopped, stunned at their ungodly luck and the sight before them.

The two monsters were locked in a bitter struggled, the crimson monster raked its claws across Grey's torso, who replied by sinking its maw into Red's shoulder. Both attacks drew a sickening amount of blood and it wasn't long before the smooth floor of the terminal was slick and slippery. Grey detached its mouth from Red and bellowed its fury.

Red replied by socking it in the face.

The impact knocked it off of Red, which clambered to its feet and lashed out with its tail. A spine sank into Grey's kneecap, but Grey didn't react. Did either of these beasts feel _anything? _Evidently not as Grey punched its claws deep into Red's chest, burying them all the way to the wrist until they protruded through Red's back. Red tumbled over, bleeding, but far from defeated.

'You know if I wasn't sure that these things would kill us as soon as they're done I'd say that this is the greatest thing I've ever seen…' Randolf murmured aloud as he watched the spectacle, unblinking, then a thoughtful expression found its way onto his face, 'well… almost.'

Grey surged forward to capitalise on its fortune when it stumbled over. The leg that had been stabbed by Red's tail was still, and its movements in general were becoming noticeably stiffer.

'What's going on? What's happening to it?' Sydney asked in awe.

'I don't know sweetie…' Cassidy said softly.

'I have a question,' Kit said, 'exactly why are we standing here watching this instead of running?'

No one really had an answer to that.

So they ran.

Outside was just as warm and bright as it was on any other day, and if you shut your eyes and felt the breeze gently caress your face you could almost forget that hell had risen to Earth. Unfortunately the wind carried the unmistakeable stench of smoke and rotting meat.

'Look!' Sema cried, 'I don't believe it!' She sounded almost relieved to the point of tears. Over by one of the hangars was a helicopter that appeared to be about to take off. It was undoubtedly civilian, and several figures were already huddled inside.

'Like hell they're leaving us behind,' Tiffany muttered to herself before urging the weary survivors on.

The helicopter crew were in the middle of their final preparations for take-off and clearly they were eager to be gone, one survivor greeted them at the cabin. He did not look particularly pleased to see them.

'Sorry, we're full,' he said gruffly. Bags lined his eyes; clearly he'd had precious little sleep recently and his left arm was in a makeshift sling. He was balding, in a white business shirt specked with blood.

'Oh no, no that just won't do,' Randolf insisted, 'if you knew what was behind us, you'd let us on and we can all get out of here nice and easy.'

The man refused to budge.

'We're full.'

'Bullshit,' Ethan snapped, 'I can see at least three empty seats in there; you really telling me you can't fit us on? You like to put your feet up asshole?' Tiffany stepped in front of him, silencing him with a glare.

'Ethan, really not helping.' She turned to the man blocking their entrance.

'Listen, we've been on the run for a couple of days now, we're exhausted, hungry and we just want to get off this crazy island like you and the folks in there. I really don't think we're asking for all that much for you to just –'

The man pulled a gun on her.

'Back off,' his tone indicated he would pull the trigger, 'I don't want to shoot, but I will if you don't back the hell away from this thing.'

'Okay… okay we'll play it your way,' Tiffany held her hands up in surrender, the others taking a cautious step back.

'Just our luck,' Ellen muttered bitterly, 'first sign of an exit and it's taken by a crazy asshole.' The man heard her speak and waved the muzzle of the handgun in her direction, forcing her to clam up.

'Okay… I am really, really sorry about this but there's really no room we've got… I'll ask the pilots to come back for you so just…' the man's voice trailed off and for a moment he seemed like he truly regretted his actions. Then he turned his head away from the group and shut the cabin door. The rotors spun and the vehicle began to take off.

A screeching of metal forced the group to look back to the exit. Red was ripping its way through, having evidently won the battle against Grey. It was covered in gaping, bleeding wounds but moved as easily as it had when they'd first seen it.

'Okay…' Sydney started, 'anyone got any ideas on how to stay alive until they get–'

The helicopter lurched in the air suddenly, then again, until it span and, horrifyingly, began to drop. Through the glass of the cabin doors they could see some of the people inside were attacking the others; some had likely been infected and reanimated just as the vehicle took off. One of them had entered the cockpit.

'Oh Jesus…' Kit breathed.

The helicopter plummeted like a stone directly into the path of the approaching monster, which craned its head skyward and tilted its head at the screaming metal death trap.

The monster was a prototype Tyrant model developed with the Grant & Glukhovsky modified sample of the Umbrella T-Virus. It stood just over three metres tall, weighing more than half a tonne of solid muscle and dense bone. It was fully capable of rending battle tanks apart.

It died almost instantly as the frame of the transport helicopter crushed and mangled its spine. The rotor blades – still spinning – loped off its thick left arm. The fuel tank ruptured on impact, dousing the monster, where a spark – and there were plenty – ignited the fuel.

The vehicle exploded and burned; a grisly, metal funeral pyre.

The survivors stood in dumb shock at what had just transpired.

'Fuck is too right Marcus…' Ethan murmured, so faintly he wasn't even sure he'd spoken aloud. Sydney brought her hands up to her face and tried her best not to retch. The rest simply stood there, rendered deaf and dumb by the fate that was nearly their own.

Eventually they regained their senses, and realised that the crash had attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The airport wasn't an option. They had to find another way off the island, but what if there was no way off, and New Rynn City was in the exact same state as Elspeth City? In that instance surely it would be better simply to run and find somewhere to hunker down and wait for rescue surely.

A grim feeling of foreboding settled over their heads. This was not to be the last of their trials on Pelanoi. Though no one said it out loud, that same thought ran through each of their minds as they trudged away from the airport, and the groaning dead who closed around it.

The Mercenaries

Viper kicked the corpse away from him, the blade of his knife slick with blood. The cop had barely been worth the effort, but his contract was clear: _no survivors_, in addition to other things. He glanced dispassionately at the body through his visor; she seemed to have been in her middle ages, dark-skinned and entirely unprepared for him. She'd screamed at him when she'd seen the body of the old timer, though Viper had nothing to do with that; a Licker had gotten to him if the claw marks were any indication.

He glanced to one side, wondering where the rest of his team were. He'd been tasked with making sure the mall's destruction was assured, but he didn't see the point himself. Alaina seemed like the type that was all fuse and no detonator but even a blind man could tell she knew her way around explosives. It seemed almost like an insult to check on her work.

Regardless, it gave him a chance to explore his own goal, separate from the task Grant & Glukhovsky had required his services for, but as he checked the rubble it seemed he'd have to wait for another opportunity, or another lab to come across. Sighing, he picked himself up and manoeuvred through the rubble, ignoring the walking dead that had come to investigate the explosion.

**-X-**

'Not a trace of anything left Grey Lead,' Viper confirmed after he returned.

Elias nodded, turning on his heel and walking down the street through the slums, tapping his earpiece.

'Natalia, anything up ahead we should know about?' he asked.

'Negative,' came her reply, 'just the odd dead guy or two–' Elias heard a familiar crack through comms in tandem with a grunt of effort.

'One now; and she's shambling off in another direction.'

'Keep up the reconnaissance; I don't want any surprises in a place like this.'

'Will do. Out.'

Tech lightly kicked the mutilated body. It had been a young woman; scrawny thing. A man lay not too far from her, his throat torn out. A dead Licker BOW told the team everything there was to know about these two lost souls.

'Must've been pretty good to have killed one of these things,' Felix murmured.

'No,' Elias said dismissively, 'just lucky. Those perforations? Shotgun spread. Slowed it down, stopped it from really going to work, otherwise there'd be more bodies.'

Felix spent a moment longer staring at the body of the creature before shrugging and getting up.

'End of the day; doesn't really matter which one it is, they're still alive and this thing's dead.'

Elias grunted. Tech glanced at Felix before turning his attention outwards to the slums around him. Alaina spared him a look.

'You sure this is the fastest way to the airport after those survivors?' she asked, noticing Ghost stiffen a little out of the corner of her vision.

'Positive.' Tech said, and that was the end of that discussion.

Grey Team's comms squawked to life as Natalia contacted the rest of her team.

'It's all clear for the next two miles, then we're out of the slums and on to the freeway. From there it's a straight shot to the airport,' she reported concisely, professionally.

'Copy Natalia, good work, the rest of us are moving up, don't get yourself killed while we're en route. Out.'

Elias took a moment to take stock of his team as they snuck through the slums. His gaze fell on Alaina first; a temperament that fit her profession to a T, but easily the most talented (or lucky) explosives expert he'd worked with to date in spite of her relatively young age. His mind drifted back to the file Grant & Glukhovsky had handed him when he'd been assigned Grey Team. It was a strange transition; one moment she'd been living on a countryside farm in Ireland the next she signed up with a PMC with literally no warning.

Natalia hailed from Elias' own home of Britain, generally quiet, which, again, suited her profession perfectly. She seemed to have taken an interest in Alaina though, or at least her job, bombarding the young Irishwoman with questions from almost the moment they'd met. Her background was similarly strange to the short demolitions expert; hailing from a fairly wealthy family, she had no need to ever enter this line of work, yet here she was.

Felix seemed like a pure and uncomplicated soldier at first glance, though he was probably the one most likely to ignore a command. His file noted several instances where he refused to act as ordered if it meant putting himself in unnecessary danger as part of a PMC (which his father had also been a part of interestingly enough). He'd behaved himself in the mall, but Elias knew he'd have to keep a tight leash on him to curb any insubordinate behaviour. If not? Well apparently he was all but useless in a straight-up fist fight, not for lack of trying though.

Tech was an enigma. Easily the youngest member of Grey Team at only nineteen years old, and one of the most technically minded, Tech should have been studying electronics or machinery at a top university and making headlines. Instead he was working black ops, which, fair enough, would see him net a six-figure pay check. Should he die before he could see it though, he would pass in ignominy at best. Still, he supposed having the tech wiz was better than having someone decidedly less proficient, and the requirement to erase all Grant & Glukhovsky presence from the island meant someone was going to need to crunch the keypads.

Jake Burke gave him headaches, but his medical expertise was essential in order to keep his team in peak condition so that they could carry out their directives. His profile confused Elias to no end; interested in medicine in the field, so clearly eager to save lives. A brother who worked for Umbrella had offered him a job, which meant that Burke likely had experience as USS. Elias didn't believe it. He'd crossed paths with the USS before and they were the most cold-heartedly professional group of bastards he'd ever had the misfortune to meet. He'd tangoed with one particular operative who went by the alias 'Mr Death' and it was an experience he never wanted to repeat again; only a very lucky ricochet had saved him from a cold, ignoble death.

He glanced at Burke, who fiddled uncomfortably with the sight of his submachine gun. This entire scenario was beyond anything he'd imagined he'd signed up for and it showed; which was why Elias had such a hard time believing that such a person had worked for Umbrella.

He turned his gaze on the last member of Grey Team, the one who gave him more worries than anything else. Where the others had nice, neat files with everything but the darkest skeletons laid bare, Viper was a mystery. One dossier he'd pulled told him that he came from Africa and had been a proficient killer at the age of fourteen. Another told him that he'd served with Russian Spetznaz and had served undercover in Afghanistan, while yet another said he was ex-SAS and had taken part in more than a dozen 'wet work' operations. Each of these different files came with their own sources verified by dozens of individuals and the fact that each of these people claimed that their file was the correct one worried him greatly.

He trusted Viper to stick to the mission and help complete their objectives; he was as dedicated to the mission if not more so than Elias himself and – while Elias admired people who took their jobs seriously – he decided then and there that he'd never completely turn his back on the man. As if sensing his scrutiny, Viper turned his head so that his visor was pointing straight at Elias. After a moment of what Elias assumed was sustained eye contact, Viper broke the impromptu stare-off and casually executed a crawling member of the undead whose legs were little more than a bloody ruin.

'Strange guy,' he muttered under his breath before shouldering his rifle and ordering Grey Team to move on.

**-X-**

**Short chapter this, mostly because I couldn't think of any other way to move the plot of both groups forward without one seeming rather out of synch with the other. Also not a huge fan of the deus ex machina I invoked in the Survivors section if I'm completely honest but it was that or… well, nothing I guess as anything else I tried simply seemed like it dragged on.**

**Another choice for you guys to make; hunker down somewhere or make for a coastal evac? Poll's up on my profile and I'll close it in a week's time.**

**Anyways, announcement time: Wandering Letters and I have started work on a collaborative work of fiction we've entitled 'Scavengers', going out under my profile at his suggestion owing to… well, I don't know. Like his recent 'Finding the Haven' and this story you're reading now, it's a sign-up story. We've got three slots out of ten fitted and the sign-up will be going up roughly the same time this goes out, so get cracking.**

**Also, here's a little preview for you all so you have some idea of what it's about:**

**-X-**

Pain.

Pain ruled his world as he slipped back into consciousness. He felt dizzy, and the world seemed strange, limited as if –

_Oh… that's right…_

His right eye was missing.

_How did that happen again?_

It hurt more than anything he'd ever felt but he was too exhausted to cry out, so he simply sat there in dull, agonised silence, propped against the cold, dusty interior of a building whose purpose was long since forgotten.

The younger sat there for a moment longer before trying to move. Fresh pain lanced up his left shoulder, and, craning his head to the side, he saw the rest of his arm laying a good metre away from him. The stump bled profusely.

"Oh? You're awake brother," a voice intoned from the darkness, willowy thin, almost a whisper.

A shadow emerged, which gradually morphed into a person. The newcomer was taller than he was, dressed entirely in either dark brown or black. He couldn't focus his vision from the fatigue and the crippling pain, but his hearing was serviceable, and it told him that he recognised him.

He cried out as memories came flooding back.

"I'm sorry brother, I didn't mean to do this to you…" the older crouched towards him, carefully, lovingly caressing his battered face. He wanted to spit, but his body wouldn't let him.

"But you wouldn't listen," he withdrew his hand, observing the blood he had wiped away before resting the arm on his knee.

"I didn't mean to kill her either," bullshit, he loved killing; it was what he'd lived for; all that kept him sane as the virus running through both their veins ate away at his mind, "but… don't you think it's for the best? Look at the world around us brother,"

He suddenly leapt to his feet and extended his arms dramatically, drawing his attention to the dank, dusty building complex.

"A world left to rot by humankind! Weak, feeble creatures who didn't know how to use the gifts presented to them… together we could rule this world! We could go anywhere, we could finally be _free!_" his voice became gradually more and more excited. He truly believed what he said.

The revelation made him want to weep.

"It would be you and me, brother, just like old times!" he paused, before chuckling softly to himself.

"Well… almost like old times," he crouched next to his wounded sibling again.

"Alpha," he pointed to his chest, "and Omega," the younger was dimly aware that his brother had tapped him lightly with a finger.

"Now… we'll have to do something about those injuries… well, there's your arm, we can probably just sew that back on, our blood will take care of the rest, as for your eye… that'll be difficult…" he was so engrossed in his out-loud thinking that he didn't notice the laser flicker over his body.

A shot rang out, deafening in the cramped complex.

His brother squealed.

He clutched the neat, bleeding hole in his side, his hand shook and his lip quivered as pain – thus far an alien sensation to him – blossomed from the gunshot wound. He screeched like a banshee before vanishing from sight, disappearing into the shadows from whence he'd come.

Silence reigned for a moment, until he heard footsteps approaching him. Another person appeared in front of him, dressed in shoddy combat gear, with loose pads of Kevlar strapped to his body. A smoking rifle sat comfortably in his hands.

"You okay?" the Scavenger asked the younger.

He didn't reply.

"Okay… stupid question, you look like shit. Come on, let's get you up," he said as he hooked an arm around his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. As his rescuer hauled him up, the thought that had been repeating, echoing through his mind.

_He killed her…_

"What?" the Scavenger asked.

He hadn't realised that he'd spoken aloud.

"He killed her," he mumbled through cracked, bloody lips, "I'm going after him."

"I'm sorry, say that again?" the Scavenger said, "Cause it really sounded like you just said–"

"He _killed _her!" He repeated, louder this time, "I'm going after him." His tone brooked no argument, but the Scavenger argued anyway.

"Okay that blood loss has gotten to you; we're leaving this place. The others have sighted a pack of Hunters and a whole mess of zombies inbound and you… shit man if you could only _see _yourself you'd not–"

He forced himself out of the Scavenger's grip, his feet were unsteady at first but he managed to keep himself upright. That was something at least.

"I'm not leaving until my brother answers for…" he searched for the words, "everything."

"I really, really can't recommend that. Now come on, if you don't follow me out of here now there'll be Hunters crawling all over this place and we'll have much less to worry about than that freak of nature,"

The younger shook his head violently, partly to clear his aching head, partly in denial.

"You've seen what my brother's capable of, if you think a pack of Hunters can stop him… I have to do this… I _need_ to do this. He killed her…"

"Yeah, you've been saying that a lot. Listen man I am _sorry _but getting killed on a suicide run isn't going to make her ha–"

He was cut off as the younger appeared in front of him, his hand at his throat. His grip – even as weak as he felt at that moment – was strong as iron. Eventually the fire in his eyes died and he released the Scavenger, letting him drop to the ground, choking and wheezing for air.

"Go then, tell everyone else that I'll catch up eventually. I'm not leaving until this ends."

_One way or another…_

With that he stumbled off into the darkness after his brother.


	13. A Night on the Town

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Seven: A Night on the Town**

**The Survivors**

Cassidy took a quick glug from a water bottle and made a satisfied gasp. With the events of the day it seemed like there hadn't really been all that much time to eat or drink. All around her, the others were satiating themselves with a light snack to keep them going. They were headed south to New Rynn city, and the decision to head there had been almost unanimous save for a remark by Ellen and a complaint from Ethan, but then Ethan probably would have complained regardless of what was decided even if it saved his life and Ellen was proving to be almost as cynical as she was cold.

The data stick in her pocket still felt like a miniature sun burning a hole in her clothes, and such was its import that Cassidy had taken to sticking her hand in said pocket and fiddling with it to make sure it was still there. The mood was downtrodden, with the airport having been a pit of nightmares, and Cassidy's mind replayed the horror of the monster that had pursued them through the terminals.

Currently the exhausted survivors were treading down a side road that led – at least according to Ethan and Rolf, though Tiffany had checked her map of the island first – to a nearby town where they could hopefully grab some extra supplies and bunker down for the night before continuing on. Time was of the essence, but seeing how Ethan had the only flashlight, travelling in the dark was a risk no one wanted to take.

The road took them through open countryside, and all around them, the lush green equator botany could be observed. Trees tall as buildings dotted the scenery. Lush, thick bushes and wild grass ran as far as the eye could see and the setting sun cast a warm, comforting glow.

'How peaceful…' Cassidy murmured.

'Hm? What was that?' Sydney asked. Shortly following their meeting, Cassidy had tried to make sure she was never too far from the bespectacled young blonde.

'I was thinking…' the journalist started before shaking her head, 'it's nothing. Don't worry about it.'

Were it not for the occasional abandoned car, sometimes painted a new shade of red, it would be very difficult to believe that the dead were walking, and that monsters prowled the island looking for something to kill. Cassidy wondered if there was such a thing as Limbo, the plane of existence sitting in between heaven and hell. Did it look like this? Moments of scattered beauty against a backdrop of horror?

'Hey! Is that it?'

Ellen's voice brought Cassidy out of her thoughts. Casting her attention outwards, she could see that they were approaching a small town. In spite of her relief at seeing a potential refuge, part of her was apprehensive. The entire island was a bloodbath, and while there was a chance that smaller settlements across Pelanoi were still safe, a place this close to the airfield – especially considering the state it had been in – could play hive to a mess of the walking dead.

Cautiously, warily, the group crept through the streets. Signs of violence decorated the town much akin to Elspeth City.

'Different place, same story,' Ethan muttered bitterly.

'Wonder if these poor bastards even knew what was going on,' Rolf agreed.

'Who knows,' Sema chimed in absently.

'Quiet. If there is anything here you'll bring it down on us,' Ellen hissed, her lip curling in a distasteful snarl.

'She's right,' Kit spoke softly, 'it'd be best if we kept quiet unless it's absolutely necessary.'

Ethan grumbled under his breath but acquiesced, as did Rolf. Ellen simply huffed and continued on in front where her senses, seemingly preternaturally sharp, were most useful.

Cassidy stopped in front of a pile-up in the middle of a crossroads; one of the vehicle doors was open. Blood stained the interior, and Cassidy felt her heart rend as she caught sight of a blood-encrusted baby seat in the back of the car. She turned away, unable to continue looking.

'Is it like this everywhere?' Sydney whispered, 'Is this happening all over the world right now? Are people getting up and eating one another?' her breathing was quickening, if she didn't calm down she'd start hyperventilating.

'What if we're the last ones left on the island? What if we're the last ones on the planet? Are we the last of us? The last of humanity? What if–'

The slap pierced the oppressive silence of the town. Sydney brought a hand up to her stinging cheek, and then felt arms wrap around her.

'Sweetie, calm down. Relax. It's bad yeah, but things will be better once we're out of this place.' Cassidy soothed as she stroked the back of the young girl's head.

'How can you know that?' she asked quietly.

'I don't,' Cassidy replied simply, softly.

'Then how–'

'It's called faith Sydney. It's made people do some pretty crazy stuff, but it's also made them do some pretty amazing things as well. We'll get through this. Everyone will get through this.'

Nobody said anything. Nobody could confirm or deny what Cassidy had said with any great certainty. Sure, they'd survived everything the island had thrown at them so far, but it was only the third day since everything had gone to hell in a hand basket. Who knew what fresh horrors the next day would bring, or the day after that.

They waited for Sydney to finally slow her breathing before continuing through the streets of death. Blood, blood could be seen everywhere you looked. Yet, just as it had been in Elspeth City, there were no bodies, or even any evidence that there had been any killing at all save for the odd scattered, half-eaten body part on one street or another.

They passed a grocery store with all its store windows smashed open. More than half of the supplies had been pilfered already but somehow the electricity still worked, keeping perishables fresh. Everyone took more food and water before sitting behind the aisles – away from the entrance where they might be seen – and having a quick meal before setting off. Rolf and Leah suggested holing up in the store, which was quickly put down by Tiffany and Ellen, stressing the need to keep moving even as the twilight approached, in addition to the many broken windows they'd need to board up with materials they did not have.

So they left, and continued searching for a haven large and secure enough to hold them for a night. Night was beginning to fall and they were well on their way to simply choosing the closest building available until suddenly:

'What about there?' Kit pointed out.

The building had quite obviously had extension work completed fairly recently. Large, heavy metal gates hung open a fraction, allowing passage into the expansive drive. It looked impressive from the outside, likely belonging to someone with far too much money on his hands.

'I think this is the State Secretary's home,' Rolf thought aloud, eyeing the architecture appreciatively.

'Was I think you mean,' Ethan said, 'pretty sure I saw someone who looked like him shuffling along when we ran from the mall… no, not him Marcus the short, thin guy in the grey suit.'

'That right? Huh. Sucks to be him.'

'Hush,' Tiffany shushed, taking point as she opened the gate, her handgun drawn.

The drive of estate seemed untouched. No blood, no signs of anything being out of the ordinary whatsoever.

'Anyone else thinking what I am?' Rolf asked.

'That this looks way too good to be true and the chances are that inside lie a hundred monsters waiting to eat us?' Ellen responded.

'No. Well… yes, but I was thinking more… never mind.'

Kit noticed that at that point Rolf's eyes had darted more than once to Tiffany's rather attractive derriere. Kit shot him a distasteful glare and made a disgusted noise, drawing a few strange looks from some of the others who hadn't been paying attention to the Australian.

Tiffany trod cautiously towards the front door and reached for the door knob. A quiet twist, a gentle push and the door opened.

'That's never a good sign,' said Ellen.

'Oh can you stop it with the negativity? Please, it's getting on my nerves,' Sema spat, uncharacteristically venomous.

'Bite me,' Ellen responded, though she said nothing else. Sema simply rolled her eyes in exasperation. Tiffany chalked the exchange up to fatigue; they were all tired and on edge.

The interior of the manse was dark and gloomy, and Tiffany could barely see her hand in front of her face until her eyes finally adjusted. She was standing in a long hallway. To her immediate left was a staircase leading upstairs. Beyond that sat two closed doors, one of which looked like someone had set upon it with an axe. To her right was a set of double doors that likely led either to the living or the dining room, and a rather pricey looking vase sat on top of an equally pricey looking stand.

Tiffany ushered everyone into the hallway before shutting the front door.

'Alright, this place seems quiet but I'd rather not call it a night until we've checked this whole building. Split up in groups of two, conduct a room-by-room sweep. No heroics.'

'Don't need to worry about that,' Ethan murmured under his breath.

They divided up into four groups, three pairs and one group of three, made up of Sydney, Kit and Cassidy, who insisted on joining them despite Kit's assurances that he could watch the teen just fine. Tiffany felt that she was smothering the poor girl, but otherwise said nothing, and with that, they split up.

**-X-**

'Man why'd I have to get buddied up with you?' Rolf groused as he nudged a loose box of paper.

'I should be the one asking that,' Ethan growled back at the Australian man, who'd left his boat paddle downstairs in favour of a poking iron, seeing how it his preferred weapon was far too long to wield effectively indoors.

The two men stood in what seemed to be a study of some sort. It was a good deal larger than the largest rooms in either of their former homes. Papers and boxes littered the ground. A briefcase full of cash had sat half-open on the messy desk, though both knew that it wasn't worth taking.

'I mean, come on. There's a two-to-one ratio of Sheilas to blokes, surely you'd think we'd be partnered up with one of them instead.'

'Speak for yourself. I'd be fine going alone… and why do you act like that?'

'Hm?' Rolf turned to face Ethan, 'What do you mean?'

'Thinking with your dick instead of your head. You've pretty much repulsed every girl in this bunch of whackos.'

'It's who I am. Can't help that,' a devilish grin split his face, 'besides, sometimes it works like a charm I tell you.'

Ethan's face twisted in disgust and he turned to leave.

'Why do _you _act like that?' Rolf asked him.

'What?' Ethan asked.

'You spit acid at anyone who so much as glances at you and you're always talking to this 'Marcus' person in your head. What's the deal?'

Ethan's face darkened.

'Marcus is my best friend, and if you don't cut this out I'll gut you,' he threatened. Rolf held up his hands in a mockingly placating gesture.

'Alright, alright mate. Keep your thong on I'm just asking is all,' Rolf gave the study a quick glance before turning towards the door to the hallway.

'Think this room is clean. Let's go.'

**-X-**

The bedroom clearly hadn't seen use recently; a thin layer of dust covered the satin sheets. In spite of everything, Kit felt himself run a hand over the material. It was soft, entirely pleasant to the touch, and for a brief moment he wondered if Tiffany would like it as well. His thoughts as of late had been filled with the female Captain and while he was guarded, he enjoyed the feeling of coming to love someone again. Perhaps when this was over…

He released a dry chuckle. Cassidy and Sydney gave him a curious look, which he deflected with a wave of his hand.

It was only when Cassidy screamed that Kit was jolted out of his thoughts.

Instinct told him to see exactly what had startled the reporter. Prior knowledge of the creatures that populated the island told him that when someone shouted a warning; you moved. You moved, or you died.

So Kit moved.

He hauled himself to the side just as a knife came flashing out of the murk. It would probably not have been fatal, such was the blade's size, but Kit was glad he'd been spared the pain. He snatched one of his own knives and brought it up just as the weapon came again. The smaller knife danced off Kit's own weapon with a brief _zing _of clashing metal. The weapon retreated and Kit saw the man behind the weapon.

He was fairly tall. Burly, though not muscled or toned as far as Kit could tell. His dark hair had clearly been cut recently, though it was growing out, particularly at the sides. There wasn't much of his face he could pick out in the gloom, but Kit could just make out a rather prominent jawline, which clenched with the effort of swinging the knife.

Stepping back, Kit brought out his other knife and held it in a reverse grip, ready to defend himself once more.

He stopped once he realised there was a gun aimed at his head.

'Don't move or I'll shoot,' the man snarled.

'You stop, or _I'll _shoot.'

Turning their heads, both Kit and his attacker found that Cassidy had her handgun aimed at the stranger. Sydney clutched her baseball bat awkwardly, though it was clear that it was a purely symbolic gesture, and at the distance she was from the engagement, she'd be of no help to anyone. Not before shots were fired anyway.

A stand-off occurred. No one moved for a full minute. Kit felt a drop of sweat roll down his forehead. His eyes flickered from the gun, to Cassidy and Sydney, who both looked like a coiled spring, tense and about to snap.

The man broke the tension by swearing.

'Goddamnit… can't you just leave us _alone?_'

Kit snapped his gaze back to the man.

'What are you talking about?' he asked.

'Looters, scumbags and all the rest like you. I killed your buddies and I'm glad I did because if I hadn't that poor child would have… would have…'

'I'd like for you to calm down. We're not looters, we don't know anyone here besides each other, and we just rolled into town this evening looking for a place to stay for the evening,' Kit said slowly and pleadingly. He saw the gun waver for a moment.

'How do I know you're telling me the truth?' he asked; his voice quiet.

Kit paused for a moment in thought before sighing.

'You don't…'

**-X-**

The stranger's name was Nicholas Neil, though he informed them that he preferred 'Nick'. In his care was a young English girl of fourteen, whose name was Mary Jane. She didn't speak much, though she was distinctively upper-class with her expensive white dress (which had been torn at some point during the outbreak) and accent. Curiously enough, she also carried a teddy bear with her, something Ethan had been quick to point out. The girl had merely glowered at him in response.

Naturally some suspicion had been present, owing to the scrap between him and Nick, but for the moment, hostilities had ceased while everyone made the manse secure, shutting the large, iron gate and boarding up the windows as best they could.

'So what's your story then?' Sema asked the two as they all sat in the sitting room. A rather expansive, cosy room lit by a few candles Ellen had found in a cupboard.

Nick scratched his head awkwardly and glanced at his young companion, who simply stared ahead, unspeaking.

'Well, I uh… I came here with my fiancé to look for inspiration,' he paused, 'I'm a writer you see, and–'

'Don't care,' Ethan interrupted. Nick shot him a dark look before shaking his head and muttering under his breath shortly before resuming.

'As I was saying; my muse as of late had been… well, lacking to say the least. We got here a few days ago. Then…' he trailed off.

'What happened to your fiancé?' Tiffany asked. A look of irredeemable guilt found its way onto Nick's face and he hung his head low, shoulders slumping at the same time.

'I'm sorry,' Tiffany started.

Nick nodded solemnly, seeming as though he was about to add something for a moment before thinking better of it, or disregarding it as unimportant.

'What about her? Mary Jane was it?' Sema asked.

At the sound of her name, the young girl turned her head and scrutinised the Turkish nurse.

'I can speak for myself you know, I'm not deaf or dumb,' her accent was distinctly upper class English and Ethan and Rolf both stifled a guffaw. The girl gave them both a poisonous glare and released an indignant harrumph.

Silence followed, made heavier by the weight of expectation. Mary felt the gaze of everyone on her and she fidgeted awkwardly.

'What is it?' she asked irritably.

'Were you going to tell us how you ended up here?' asked Cassidy.

She lowered her head a fraction, her eyes suddenly found the tan carpet very interesting.

'You wouldn't believe me…' she mumbled.

'Speak up princess, no one at the back can hear you,' Ethan called out.

'I said you wouldn't believe me! And you're being very rude!'

'Take a peek at all the fucks I don't give. Oh wait…'

'Enough Ethan,' Tiffany groaned, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. After a moment she released herself and looked back to Mary.

'Honey, we're currently battling for survival on an island where the dead have started eating people and where monsters we thought could only exist in movies prowl the streets. I'm pretty sure nothing you can tell us would surprise us at this point.'

Emboldened, but still a little uncomfortable, Mary nodded.

'I… fell out of a plane…'

A stunned silence followed.

'Nothing can surprise us eh?' Rolf said, casting a sidelong glance at Tiffany, 'I'd say that's pretty out there. Wouldn't you?'

'How did that happen exactly?' Tiffany asked curiously.

'I don't know, I got out of my seat for a moment and then the plane started rocking and began to fall. Someone opened the door and I fell out.'

'Can't have been too high then if she survived; hell, she doesn't look like she's got so much as a scratch on her,' Ellen observed casually.

'She was wandering around on her own when I found her,' Nick said, drawing attention towards him once more, 'there was another group of people… one of them attacked her, probably would have done more if I hadn't intervened.'

'That was brave of you,' Sydney offered, Nick smiled at her, though there was a hollow feel to it.

'I'd made a mistake with Andrea… I didn't want to make another by standing idly by while… well, you know.'

Fresh silence descended again. Kit scratched the back of his head awkwardly, about to speak, however Tiffany beat him to it.

'Well, it's getting late. I guess we should call it a night. Got to get moving early if we're going to make it to New Rynn City… now who wants to take watch?'

When no one put themselves forward, Kit sighed and raised his hand, enjoying the warmth that spread through his body at the grateful smile Tiffany gave him.

With that said and done, everyone picked themselves up and departed for the rooms they'd claimed.

**-X-**

Tiffany wandered the corridor. It had been almost half an hour (or so she thought) since she'd told everyone to hit the hay, and while she felt she should at least have made an attempt at following her own advice she found that she was restless. The fantastical, horrific things that she had witnessed and been subject to played upon her waking thoughts. Every time she shut her eyes she saw a man ripped apart by his undead wife, a young girl; her arm hanging onto its socket by a strip of flesh…

She shook her head to clear her head, though she felt that even long after this was over the images would persist, haunting her dreams and fuelling her nightmares. She paced the corridor and decided that she'd check on the others.

She came across Cassidy and Sydney first. Unsurprisingly, the former had opted to share a room with the latter, despite the younger girl's protests that she would be fine if security held out. Cassidy had insisted that, while not openly hostile, the other two survivors were still a relatively unknown factor. She stood just outside their door and listened as they spoke. She felt a little uncomfortable eavesdropping, but she needed something to occupy her thoughts.

'What are you doing?' she heard Cassidy ask.

'Reading,' Sydney replied.

'What are you reading?'

'_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_.'

'I see… is it good?'

'You've never read it?' Sydney asked, clearly astounded.

'I'm a journalist sweetie. If I'm not writing an article then I'm travelling around looking for material in order to write one… doesn't really leave me a lot of free time.'

'Wow… I don't think I've ever met someone who's never read Harry Potter… you've missed out.'

'Really now? Well then, oh enlightened one, please tell me in explicit detail exactly what I've lost by not reading Harry Potter,' there was an amused tone to Cassidy's voice, and Tiffany felt the ghost of a grin grace her features.

'Alright. To start with; it's aimed at children but the way everything pans out, the way Rowling develops these characters means adults can enjoy it too – obviously, seeing how it's a global literature sensation and all. There's also the amazing world she's crafted; how she walks us through the 'Wizarding World' by showing it through Harry's eyes instead of boring us by bogging it down with so much text…' Sydney fired off reason after reason, and it was easy to hear that she was a fanatic, or at least passionate about the series.

Deciding that it was time to move on, Tiffany strolled slowly away from the room, smiling softly as Sydney's excited voice faded as she came onto the next room.

Almost immediately her mood soured as she realised that she was outside Randolf's room. Sighing heavily, she decided that – even if she had little love for the horn dog – it was as much for her own benefit that she was doing this routine as it was for everyone else. Bracing herself for a pervy remark, she stepped inside.

To her surprise, Randolf actually appeared to be reading something. Her surprise quickly dried away when she remembered exactly what kind of person he was. No doubt about it, it had to be something dirty.

'Good evening?' she asked cautiously.

Randolf lurched in surprise and turned sharply, his eyes widened in mild panic when he saw it was Tiffany standing in his doorway, and Tiffany noticed that he made no effort to move so as to reveal what it was he was so engrossed with.

'Um… hello?' it was the most awkward she'd ever heard him since their meeting. In a strange way it was a peculiar kind of funny to the young marine.

'What are you reading?' she asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

Randolf glanced back over his shoulder to what Tiffany was all but certain was a dirty magazine, then he looked back at Tiffany.

'I'm not?' he offered vainly.

Tiffany chuckled and shook her head.

'You don't need to show me – pretty sure I don't want to see it anyway – I'm just doing a checkup on everyone.'

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Randolf's smart-ass horn dog persona reasserted itself.

'Kinky,' he said, 'any chance I could tag along?'

'Not a chance,' Tiffany deadpanned, her amusement gone.

'Right… well anyway, if you see that kid–'

Tiffany wore a look of complete and utter disgust.

'Hey, hey, it's not like that! I have standards alright? I'm no pedo, Jesus Christ… and let people finish before you fix someone with that look. Could kill someone with that, jeez…

'You were saying?' Tiffany asked, though her tone was laced with disbelief. Randolf frowned but didn't make a topic of it.

'If you see that kid, send her to me and I'll entertain her for you – up bup! Listen okay?' he started when Tiffany shook her head in exasperation and was about to turn and leave, 'I used to work as a mascot for my uncle's restaurant in Elspeth. Hell, I like making kids smile in general… it's why I did it you know?'

Still not entirely convinced, but put a little at ease, Tiffany managed a curt nod before leaving.

'Thanks for that!' he called. Tiffany poked her head back inside, confused.

'But I didn't–'

'It'll come to you, don't worry,' Randolf shook his head and waved her away, turning back to his previous source of interest.

Still unsure of what he was talking about, Tiffany exited and checked the other rooms downstairs, which turned out to be empty save for the study, where Mary and Nick resided. She didn't stay for long, still not quite comfortable around the two yet. The thought was somewhat ironic considering that she had known everyone else barely longer than a day. It felt much longer.

**-X-**

The last room on the ground floor of the manse was what looked like a conference room. A large, long mahogany table sat in the centre. Ethan sat on the end of the table at the other end of the room. Tiffany was about to call out to him when she noticed that he had earphones in. Despite this, he appeared to be locked in a conversation with himself (or this Marcus person).

'No. I think I pretty much blanked that out,' he said softly. It was strange to hear, considering most of what came out of his mouth was a snide remark.

'Well riddle me this Marcus; why exactly would I _want _to remember it? You died there. We can all agree on that, and if it weren't for all the memories I've got before it happened, and the big blank space of that night I'd wonder if some of those guys are right and I really am just a whack job psycho… unless I constructed those… no, no you're right. That's retard thinking…

'I dunno… maybe? Hell, you know that Leah girl? Yeah? Yeah that's what I thought too… how far did you ever get with Denise by the way? Seriously? No way… goddamn dude that's even more pathetic than _my_ track record and that's saying something…'

Tiffany observed him for a moment. From what he'd said she could gather that Marcus was likely a friend who had died in the outbreak, a friend so close to Ethan that his death had quite literally broken him. Still, seeing him talk to himself like this now, he seemed almost… happy. Like the situation outside was nothing more than a bad dream.

In that one moment, Tiffany envied Ethan's instability. At the same moment she pitied him. To lose a friend was tragic enough, but how in the world would he cope if they managed to get off the island and back to the outside world? Would he be placed in an asylum? Would he be made to take medication? Would he be allowed to live alone? Did he even have any family left or were they all dead along with Marcus?

These thoughts kept her thinking as she left the conference room and ascended the expansive staircase to check on everyone residing upstairs.

The first she came across was Sema, who had taken up residence in the private library and was even now reading through a book on herbs. Tiffany cleared her throat loudly and Sema started at the noise.

'Oh… oh Tiffany it's just you. Sorry I was so absorbed in this I blanked out.'

'Can't sleep?' Tiffany asked the nurse.

'No… not really,' Sema said, her voice lined with fatigue, 'everything that's happened here… I see things every time I shut my eyes… do you?'

Tiffany nodded solemnly, saying nothing. Sema's shoulders slumped a little.

'It seems so unreal. The dead come to wreak havoc on the living, and then there's these creatures too–'

'BOWs.'

'Hm?' Sema looked up at Tiffany, her smooth face scrunched up in confusion.

'Bio-organic weapons… it's what those monsters are. It's what the zombies are too. People with an interest in medicine or genetics like yourself and turning them towards something… something that should never have been explored.'

'You're kidding…' Sema whispered, Tiffany shook her head sadly.

'I did a bit of work for the BSAA as an agent. Never really saw any of the things some of those people did, but I know enough…'

'My God… and this island, is this some sort of sick, perverted testing ground for these monstrosities, these… these abominations?'

'I don't think so, I'm fairly certain there'd be observers if it was. So far the only people I've seen are… well, everyone here.'

'What if someone here _is _an observer?'

Tiffany didn't have an answer to that. It was a very good question, and one that demanded some investigation, just in the possibility that this had been planned. Tiffany thought back to her reason for landing on Pelanoi in the first place; the pursuit of the Bio-Terrorist who caused her father's death. Could he have had contacts in Pelanoi with the T-Virus after all? The thought chilled her, but at the moment her priority was getting herself and these people off the island, along with anyone else they came across who needed her help.

She turned her attention away from the frankly depressing thoughts and took a closer look at the book Sema was reading.

'_Herbs and their Uses_… I'm guessing for medicine?'

Sema glanced at the open book and nodded.

'Yes, I'm a nurse so I'm pretty familiar with most of them, but there are a few local substances on Pelanoi I'd like to grab if possible… never know when we might need them.'

'Hmm,' Tiffany nodded in understanding.

'Any chance you could give me a few pointers so I know what to look for?' she asked.

'Absolutely,' Sema said; her gratitude all too apparent, 'the more pairs of eyes searching for these wonderful plants the better.'

The next five minutes consisted of Sema teaching the younger woman exactly what to look for and how to extract the herbs without damaging them. By the end of it, Tiffany was still unsure, but told Sema that she'd attempt her utmost when handling the plants. With that said and done, Tiffany decided to move on, bidding the Turkish nurse good night.

**-X-**

She found Ellen practising in a guest bedroom, lashing out against a spare mattress propped up against the wall with kick after kick. The woman spun on her heel and delivered a roundhouse kick capable of cracking ribs, almost immediately she lowered the attacking limb and snapped her other leg up in a startling display of flexibility. Anyone on the receiving end of the assault would find themselves winded before taking a vicious kick to the jaw.

Ellen took a step away from the brutalised mattress and took a series of measured breaths before turning her head slightly in Tiffany's direction.

'What is it?' she asked bluntly.

'Nothing. Just checking on everyone.'

'Why? You think we'll fall to pieces if you don't dote on us like a mother hen?' Ellen asked, her tone faintly mocking.

Tiffany merely chuckled in response. It was an honest noise, one that surprised Ellen.

'Mother Tiff' she said, still chuckling.

'What?'

'That was my nickname in my unit. I made sure everyone had exactly what they needed when they needed, checked in on them to make sure they were okay… eventually one day, one of my Sergeants – Yani I think it was – just said 'yes mom' when I told him to clean his gear and before I knew it everyone was calling me Mother Tiff.'

Ellen paused before tilting her head a fraction, unsure of what exactly was compelling the marine to tell her the little story.

'I worry because it's who I am. I boss because it's what I do. I mean no offense but you've reacted pretty badly to me or anyone giving orders. You're borderline uncooperative in the worst of circumstances and pretty bitchy in the best. If you were one of mine I'd have slapped you with a court martial and moved on…' Tiffany took a breath and glanced through a window. The night had truly descended, and even in the low candlelight Tiffany couldn't make anything out through the contrast.

She glanced at Ellen, searching, for what she wasn't entirely sure. She half expected a retort by this point, clenched fists, signs of impending aggression. There was nothing. The woman was a blank slate. Entirely unreadable. She'd narrowed her eyes at her, but that was the extent of her reaction. Tiffany deduced that Ellen was remarkably good at concealing her body language.

Eventually Ellen sighed heavily and sat on the bed she'd claimed as hers. The sheets looked untouched, and were a comforting tan colour that reminded Tiffany of the camouflage she'd worn in desert exercises.

'What exactly do you want me to say?' she asked, finally, 'do you want me to apologise? To say 'sorry sir, won't happen again.' I'll level with you; I don't like people all that much, I don't know why, I just don't and some burn my ass more than others.'

'So why exactly are you travelling with us then?' Tiffany asked.

'I said I didn't like people, not that I'm stupid. The stuff we've come up against so far? I'd have stood a snowball's chance in hell on my own, I know that much,' she opened her mouth to continue before stopping, she seemed to be thinking. Finally she started again:

'Look… I can tell you that I can try not to get up in yours or anyone else's grill, but it's not going to be a promise.'

Tiffany considered her words for a moment before nodding slowly.

'That's… acceptable… thank you Ellen.'

'Don't mention it GI Jane.'

Tiffany frowned.

'I have a name you know.'

Ellen rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

'Okay; sorry _mom_.'

The pair remained still for a moment, silence taking centre stage, before Tiffany released a snicker. Ellen didn't, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes.

'See you tomorrow Ellen, have a good night,' Tiffany said as she left the bedroom.

'You too… Tiffany…' Ellen murmured softly, before picking herself up, stretching her neck, and laying another smackdown on the defenceless mattress.

**-X-**

Leah had, unsurprisingly, taken the master bedroom for herself. Tiffany was, understandably, surprised when Leah was not splayed out on the king-sized bed as she'd imagined she would be, and was instead performing what looked like yoga stretches. Tiffany observed the young woman for a moment, feeling a twinge of jealousy that she could manoeuvre herself so well. Her military training had instilled much control of herself, but compared with Leah's supple, easy movements, in that moment Tiffany felt about as graceful as an elephant.

Shaking herself of the unflattering thought, she knocked several times on the door and leaned back against it, watching as Leah nimbly flipped herself back onto her feet. She turned her head towards the door, her eyes lighting up in excitement, and immediately deflating as she saw it was Tiffany. The marine had her suspicions as to who she was hoping it might be, but didn't comment.

'What is it?' Leah asked. Her tone of voice always seemed to have a sharp edge to it, as though she expected something from you every time you met.

'Nothing, just checking in on people,' Tiffany said casually.

'Oh… well… ' Leah scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

'Well?'

'You know…'

'Do I?'

'Guess not.'

'Thought so.'

'You're being pretty rude you know,' Leah said, narrowing her eyes at Tiffany, who was trying her best to conceal a cheeky grin. She'd enjoyed that a little more than she'd ever admit.

'So, why were you stretching earlier? Was that yoga?' Tiffany asked, forcibly removing all traces of humour from her face. It was a difficult task.

'Oh, yeah it was. Been doing it ever since I was a kid; helps me relax you know? Calms me down.'

'Mhm,' Tiffany nodded.

'What do you do… you know… when you want to calm down?' Leah asked tentatively.

'I dunno,' Tiffany scratched her chin, thinking, 'usually I'd be running or doing drill. Sometimes I'd field strip my weapon and reassemble it.'

'So, have you done that?' Leah asked. Tiffany shook her head.

'Don't need to calm down. Besides if I did it and we got attacked… well it'd be awfully inconvenient wouldn't you think?'

That was a lie. Tiffany had seen briefings and reports on the horrors that biological weapons like the T-Virus could inflict, but nothing had prepared her for anything like this. Still, she was a marine captain at heart, and the root of any good leader was to show no weakness, no fatigue, no doubt, no fear. She'd effectively slid into the role of 'leader' (though she doubted that some would ever acknowledge it out loud) by making decisions she knew the others were unlikely to make for themselves, giving them the best direction she was able to give.

She enjoyed it, partly. 'To serve and protect' might not be the motto of the marines, but it stuck in her head even now. She liked the phrase, and she liked helping others, _defending _others, and wondered to herself that, had she not enlisted for the marines, if she might have joined the police instead.

'Right… well I think I've stayed enough. I just need to check on one more person then I'll hit the hay,' she turned to Leah as she was about to leave, 'I suggest you do the same; we got a long way to go.'

'I know, I know,' Leah huffed irritably, waving her away. Tiffany blinked before leaving.

'Hey, wait!' Leah called, opening the door and shouting after her. Tiffany turned towards her.

'If you… if you see–' she seemed to be in the middle of some internal struggle. After a moment, her more cautious side won out and she shook her head furiously.

'Actually, never mind. Good night,' with that, she shut the door, leaving a confused Tiffany standing in the middle of the hallway.

**-X-**

The balcony was warm, even in the dead of night. No candle burned next to Kit, who kept his keen, adjusted eyes searching for anything so much as hinting at an attack. Tiffany carefully, quietly opened the French doors leading out onto the balcony before creeping over to where Kit sat.

'Do you ever get tired?' she asked quietly, taking a place next to him.

Kit turned his head to see who his visitor was; turning it back to the outside world once he caught side of Tiffany's face. The marine sat next to him in silence for a moment before speaking.

'Feel like talking?'

Kit kept his gaze locked on the world around them, then finally turned to face Tiffany.

'What's on your mind?' he asked her, his voice a whisper.

She'd known him for less than a day, but Tiffany felt something where Kit was concerned. She was sure it was more than a crush, but other than that, she wasn't sure. Whatever it was, she wanted this moment to last, so she thought, until a question presented itself.

'Well… this,' she pointed to the town around them, 'what's your take on it all?'

Kit studied her curiously for a second.

'I don't think I can say much for certain, except that people died… I don't think I need to say that this was… unexpected.'

Tiffany nodded, humming in agreement.

'You said you were an engineering student, right?'

'I don't remember telling anyone that, but yeah. What about it?'

'Aside from the fact that you really don't look it; you've been trying to save pretty much everyone since we met each other. Most of the people here aren't exactly… selfless.'

Kit released a low chuckle.

'Little sister. She got in trouble a lot. I made it my job to watch out for her and as time grew by… well it sort of grew on me. Became a part of me.'

'You have a sister? Whereabouts?'

'Living with my mother in the States.' Kit said with a nod.

'Miss them?'

Kit took a calm breath and rested his chin atop a fist, propping his arm against his knee.

'More than you know.'

Tiffany shifted in the spot before placing a reassuring hand on Kit's shoulder, who turned to look at her curiously.

'You'll see them again,' Tiffany said softly. Kit observed her for a few moments.

'You remind me a little of my mother.'

Tiffany released a quiet giggle and shook her head.

'That wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping for.'

'Sorry, what I mean is–' he stopped and shook his head before starting again, 'you care… you barely know anyone in this house but you care, and you're willing to put your life on the line to save everyone in here. My mom was much the same; she never stood by and watched while there was something she could do to help someone, whether it was the guy next door or someone who just strolled into town… frankly, I think that's incredible.'

Tiffany felt her cheeks heat up and turned her head away from him, silently grateful for the darkness that concealed her reddened face. When she felt that she'd finally calmed herself down she faced Kit again, and when she did she made a decision. She didn't know whether this burgeoning feeling was love or not… but she wanted to find out with him. Despite her reaffirmed feelings, she had something she wanted to ask him.

'So… what about the others in there?' she asked.

'What about them?' he asked curious as to where she might be going with the question.

'You know, what do you think about them?'

Kit rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking a full minute before answering.

'Randolf is… strange… and I'd be lying if I said he didn't grate on my nerves at times, but… I don't know; he's genuinely funny at times. I don't think I can remember the last time I ever felt so conflicted about a guy,' what Kit did not mention was that he disliked it immensely whenever Randolf eyed up the women in the group, though never more so than when he laid his lecherous eyes on Tiffany.

'What about Cassidy? And Sydney?'

'Sydney's a good girl, and I think it's pretty terrible that someone like her got caught up in this mess. I'd say that I'd watch over her, but Cassidy seems to have that down to a science.

'Speaking of; she seems a little distracted at times, but I think she's a good person. I'd like to see them both get through this,' Tiffany murmured her assent.

'And Sema? Ellen?'

'Sema actually reminds me of Lisa – that's my sister – only without the trouble-magnet shtick… or with it, seeing how she's here in the middle of all this with us… as for Ellen? Well she acts like that, but she cares, really.'

'Seriously?' Tiffany asked, incredulous, 'what makes you say that?'

'Let's just say I've known people like her and leave it at that. She's one of those types that won't ever admit to anything if you ask them.'

Tiffany shook her head in disbelief.

'Well, if you say so… anyway, what about the rest? Ethan? Leah? The other two inside?' _Me?_

'I don't think the other two will bother us. They just seem afraid.

'Leah's… infuriating at times, but I think she means well, even if she doesn't act like it sometimes.' He didn't bother mentioning the fact that he'd caught her staring at him a number of times. He had his suspicions but kept them to himself, unless she did something _really _obvious there was no real way of knowing.

'Okay and what about our resident loony?'

'Ethan seems loopy, but I'm sure there's a reason for that, if nothing else besides the fact that the dead are coming back to life and eating people like in a Romero flick. I think he needs company.'

'Kinda hard to give him that when he keeps pushing everyone away,' Tiffany muttered, half to herself, before glancing to the town surrounding them, then back to Kit.

'So, any words for little old me?' she asked innocently. Kit chuckled lightly.

'I've told you what I think of you already,' which was a lie, but Kit didn't think she had to know that. Not now anyway. He turned his head back to the task of watching for danger.

Tiffany was about to probe further, when suddenly the manse was bathed in light, which momentarily blinded the two sitting on the balcony. Seconds later an alarm went off, ringing like a dinner bell.

As the two rushed inside to find the cause of the problem, the town around them began to stir. The residents; not disappeared as they had first assumed, awoke from their slumber and stepped out of shattered doorsteps, dark, open garages and through smashed store windows. They converged on the manse, their lifeless eyes fixated on the source of the light and noise that heralded their next meal. Their mouths opened and a collective moan echoed throughout the dark, signalling yet more of their deathly fellows.

It was to be a long night for those residing in Ryder House.

**-X-**

**The Mercenaries**

Elias thundered his boot into a zombie's midsection. Ribs cracked under the merciless assault and the moaning abomination was forced off its feet, crumpling to the ground. Giving the creature no time to even attempt to rise, Elias stepped over it and stomped on its face until the head was little but a hideous pulp of flesh, cartilage and bone.

The rest of his team fared well against the restless dead that swarmed around them. The airport had clearly played haven to many survivors hoping for an easy escape. Elias almost pitied them, even as he gunned them down. None of them could have known that the airport was shut as soon as the quarantine was declared, with a few privateers hoping to make either a quick buck helping their fellow man escape or use their own private aircraft to flee the dying island.

'Grey Lead, something's coming, something big,' Natalia's voice chirped through comms.

'Identify it,' Elias barked as he ejected the magazine for his weapon, slamming a fresh one home, 'then find us a way out. The BOWs assailing us are already slowing our progress as it is. Another hindrance might see us lose our quarry.'

'Sir.'

Elias shot two undead through the forehead, and turned to execute another pair in a similar manner, however both dropped before he could squeeze the trigger, put down by large calibre rounds.

He nodded in appreciation to Felix, who had perched himself up on top of a kiosk in the airport terminal out of reach of the grasping, groaning undead. The German sniper however, had already sighted his next target, and the echo of his rifle was distinct even with the howling din around him.

'Security footage grabbed Grey Lead,' it was Tech this time, 'they came through here, no question about it. Chased through by a big BOW.'

'The same one coming for us?' Elias asked as he put down a couple more of the ravenous dead.

'Unknown Lead. Possible, but unknown.'

Elias frowned, grabbing his last fragmentation grenade before thinking better of it and stuffing it back in the pouch he'd taken it from. He racked the under-barrel grenade launcher of his assault rifle instead and lobbed an explosive in the middle of a particularly threatening mob closing on Alaina, who was reaping a fearsome tally with her shotgun.

'Grey Lead, I have an ID on the BOW closing on us. It's an Akula.'

Elias swore.

'You'd better have an exit,' he growled. He was fairly certain his team could take the beast down, but his objective wasn't to put down the specimens, and every delay meant that the civilian with the data had the chance to slip further and further away.

'I do, but it cuts through the largest concentration of undead.'

'Jäger won't be happy,' Elias murmured to himself as he took another of the dead off its feet with a burst of fire, 'acknowledged Natalia. Help whittle the herd down; we're leaving this place stat.'

He switched his comm channel to global, his voice a harsh bark.

'We're cutting through the dead gathering to the north-east of this terminal. Jäger; get off your perch and follow on. Viper; hold his hand and make sure he doesn't get killed. The rest of you are with me. Move out!'

With that, he pounded onwards, slinging his assault rifle over his back and drawing instead the MP7, switching the little gun to burst-fire and pausing in his steps every couple of seconds to unleash a quick spray of gunfire, downing a lurching zombie every time. The rest of Grey Team proceeded in a similar fashion, and began to carve a path through the press of rotting, writhing bodies.

A stomping grew closer, and a terrible, ear-splitting bellow reverberated through the terminal. The sheer ferocity behind the cry made the hissing screech of the Lickers seem like a kitten mewling by comparison, and despite himself, Elias felt his blood run cold.

Behind him stood more than three metres of slavering, genetically engineered fury. Elias thought such things were abominable, wasteful and entirely unnecessary when a crack squad with nerves of steel and good coordination could achieve far more in much less time. Still, it wasn't his place to judge, and he certainly wasn't going to do so if it wasn't getting him paid.

The ugly beast snatched up a zombie and ground it to bloody paste in its circular maw, and Elias felt a twinge of disgust as he forced himself to turn around and continue the massacre of the dead before him.

'Grey Team, bug out! Ignore the BOWs unless they're blocking your path. We're leaving, now!' He ordered and stowed his submachine gun, drawing a cruelly serrated combat knife and bounding towards the exit Natalia had pointed out.

The din of gunfire died out as his team began to focus on fleeing the airport instead of cutting down undead. Elias saw Alaina ram the butt of her shotgun into the chin of a zombie blocking her path, sending the creature stumbling into a collection of its fellows, pitching all of them off balance. He turned to see one of the creatures lunge for his throat. Elias sidestepped the attack and planted his knife into the base of the dead man's neck, severing his spine in a heartbeat. He withdrew the knife, slick with blood, and continued charging towards the exit.

Despite his fears, Grey Team managed to escape the airport without trouble, though Felix bemoaned having to get so close to the walking corpses. Elias ignored him and had them all perform an inventory check. All in all they'd used up around a little more than a quarter of their ammunition in total since landing. Elias gave standing orders not to open fire on any BOWs unless it was necessary.

Tech in the meantime had gleamed from more security cam footage that the group of survivors they were pursuing seemed to have travelled south after finding that the airport was a bust. It was likely that they were perhaps heading for New Rynn City, which Elias had heard was still making evacuations, with a defensive perimeter set up by BSAA troops along with what remained of the Pelanoi Defence Force and the NRPD.

They took a side road, blissfully devoid of the groaning undead or the hissing Lickers, and the Akula BOW that had inhabited the airport didn't seem to have engaged in pursuit, content to massacre the walking corpses around it. The report on the monstrosities hadn't led Elias to believe that they possessed any great intelligence, meaning Elias wouldn't need to be checking over his shoulder for any sign of the beast unless they passed through the airport again, and while they were pursuing these survivors, that didn't seem likely.

It was night when they came across the small town; Elias had Grey Team switch to night-vision, casting the world in a strange green hue. He had them maintain an even stricter noise discipline as they entered. Weapons swept left and right, as Grey Team watched for even the slightest hint of movement in the numerous abandoned buildings.

A blaring alarm suddenly flared to life. Close by, and a part of the town was suddenly illuminated.

'What the hell?' Felix muttered aloud.

'Noise!' Elias growled; his displeasure easy to make out.

'Think it could be them?' Alaina asked softly.

'Maybe a trap?' Tech murmured, 'that alarm will draw every zombie nearby towards this place.'

Sure enough, the tell-tale groan of the undead soon filtered its way through the dark, unlit streets. They seemed to be converging on the source of the noise.

Elias, seeing that his efforts to maintain noise discipline were wasted, felt his lips press into a thin line.

'Or maybe someone's just made a very fatal mistake,' he made a decision, turning towards his squad.

'We'll make our way through town, set up positions around wherever that alarm is coming from and we wait. If contact is made, I want them dead,' he played his eyes upon Jake as he finished, watching him shift uncomfortably.

'Move out.'

**-X-**

**Twenty-two pages, an excess of 9,000 words (with more than 7,000 making up the survivors' segment alone) in this chapter. This is easily my largest update ever.**

**Thanks to Wandering Letters for the assist regarding the dialogue between Kit and Tiffany, I hope it didn't feel too forced or unnatural. If it did, let me know and what I could do to make it seem less so.**

**On a more unrelated topic; my net's still little more than a paperweight and according to my more technically-inclined brother the only way to get it to work faster (or just work) would be to dig up a whole bunch of cables on my street and replace them all with fibre-optic cabling, which – on our extremely limited budget – ain't happening. Ever.**

**I also go back to Uni next week, where the promise of a more stable connection beckons. On the other hand, well I've taken a look at my timetable and my module specifics and fuuuuck. To give you an idea of how swamped I'll be; one of my modules (my Creative Writing Module for the first semester anyway) has us planning and writing up a project of no less than 60,000 words, plus a 10,000 word commentary. Fortunately I've got an idea in mind for that, and I'll be putting it up on my Fiction Press account as I go along if you guys want to check that out but that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you guys thought I was bad at updating before; you ain't seen nothing yet.**

**As always however – and I'm sick to death of repeating it – this does not mean that this story or any of my other works on this site (including the collab Scavengers, and Letters my friend, you have been amazingly patient with me and I don't think I could have asked for much more in a partner for this kind of project) are forgotten or abandoned. This is all I'll say on the matter. It's all I'll **_**ever **_**say on the matter.**

**Cheers**


	14. Blackwater Worldwide OpRep: Falling Star

**Well, there's one essay down. Only three more of the miserable buggers to go now. To celebrate the whittling down of Uni work I have to do; here's a log, which I've not done in a while.**

**Wanted to do one for Randolf and Ethan (and an extended one for Sydney and Kit) but coming up with scenarios that make sense with the descriptive tools I'd have to use (camera footage, audio logs, text and emails etc.) escape me. If you guys have any suggestions then please, I would love to hear them.**

_Operation Report: 'Falling Star'_

_Location: Africa, Congo, unidentified rural area_

_Operational report: At approx. 1204 hours on the 4__th__ December 2011, a troop of Blackwater Worldwide Mercenaries on a training exercise encountered a BOW outbreak in a local village. The troop allegedly engaged with little idea of what was afflicting the villagers, believing them simply insane, or sick. The troop took more than 50% casualties before finally realising that their foes were more than sickly African villagers._

_The ranking officer present – a Corporal Adams – led the troop away from the village to what he believed was the direction of the Blackwater encampment. Unwittingly he led his team further away from the camp and deeper into the heart of the country, with the BOWs in pursuit. The troop stopped off three times in various rural settlements and each time the BOWs caught up and laid waste to the area, resulting in the troop being gradually more outnumbered. Desperate, Corporal Adams finally managed to contact command and informed them of the situation. Command called that they had ordered a specialist._

_Three days later the troop reached the ruin of an old Colonial-era fortress, where a single man who went only by the alias 'VIPER' waited for them. Taking stock of their armament and supply situation, he ordered them into various positions in the fortress before ordering them to conceal themselves as best they could. The BOWs shambled into range of the fort where VIPER lured them into the central courtyard. Once all were in place he ordered the Blackwater mercenaries to reveal themselves and aim for the head, single-shot._

_Within the space of two minutes the mob of BOWs – which had stretched upwards of 100 – was eliminated. Thanking the mercenary for his task the Blackwater mercenaries were then safely evac-_[ERROR!DATACORRUPTED!]

_Dear Ms. Bennet._

_An investigation into the corrupted report revealed a breach in security. It appears that this report was altered, then about to be removed from our database entirely before our techies could stop it. It's almost like the hacker changed his mind about whatever he had in mind for the file mid-way, and it was only this sudden change which told us that anything was going on at all. A trace attempt so far has yielded no results. No trail, not even from BLOODHOUND which tells us nothing except that the hacker was more than just good. He was otherworldly._

_As to your request for the FOX troop who were deployed in the Congo on a training exercise on the 4__th__ December 2011: we're unable to comply because the FOX troop are all listed as missing in action. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw a report outlining their evacuation or debriefing. It's as if the troop simply vanished into thin air. I'm sorry Carol, but it's a dead end._

_Yours,_

_Andrew Larkin_


	15. Audio log: Colonel Roy Stanford

_Audio Log from Colonel Roy 'Papa Bear' Stanford; Field Commander of the notorious 'Black Bear' commando unit._

Stanford: Anyway, me and my boys were pinned down out there, make no mistake. I didn't think those bloody Slavs could shoot so far and be so damned accurate. Luck of the devil I'd say… if only they didn't hit every single time. Hughes was dead with half his skull blown out in the middle of the street barely a metre away and Hughes and Lewis were bleeding out. Sick bastards wanted us to go out and help them so we could be next. Hughes and Lewis were tighter than brothers, which is how they'd ended up as they were.

So anyway, like I was saying, we were pinned in that run down old tenement building, with snipers and sharpshooters watching us for so much as a twitch. After about a minute my boys were getting itchy. They wanted to hurt these animals. Wanted revenge; and I wanted it pretty bad myself. So I was about to just pop out from behind the doorway and just unload on the closest tall place I could see when all of a sudden I hears a shot. Then another one. Until after about a minute of regular shooting, my headset squawks to life and I hear that cocky little German merc I left all the way back at the encampment.

'You can come out now. People are dead,' he says over the comms and I almost blow a gasket then and there. What bloody cheek I thought! That he'd disobeyed a direct order to remain there and waltz all the way out here. I had as good a mind as any to give him what for once we found him again – even if he was a dirty merc I'd have thought he'd at least have standards…

Then we reached Hughes and Lewis… God help me, their faces when we told them who the bastard done saved them was. I didn't, and still don't like the little shite, and if I ever see his mug again it'll be far too soon, but with Christ as my witness in that moment I loved him for saving two of my boys.

Him and that eagle eye of his…

_End of Audio Log._

**-X-**

**I have no idea if the Black Bear Commando Unit actually exists (I'll assume it doesn't). Otherwise, hope this sustains you until the next release proper.**

**Cheerio**


	16. Encounter

**I'll be honest; it took a bit of effort to resume work on this and some of my other stories for this site. Uni work's been coming on pretty well, with much of it either done or in the process of final drafting. Unfortunately back on the home front things haven't been quite so rosy, and a family member who is very close to me attempted suicide just over a week ago and very nearly succeeded. Without going into too much detail he's alive and stable, but he's unlike himself to say the least, which is causing both me and my family some pretty serious stress.**

**Anyway, enough about depressing stuff; you didn't come here for that.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Seven: Encounter**

**The Survivors**

The sound of foetid flesh slapping against iron filled their senses.

It had barely been five minutes since Ryder House had lit up like a firework, attracting every cannibal freak in town. They were under siege, and their already desperate situation grew worse with each second that passed as more and more of the dead began to pile up against the iron bars of the fence and gates.

Tiffany and Kit found most of the group throwing assorted objects against the doors and windows.

'What the hell happened?' Tiffany asked.

'How the hell should I know?' Ethan replied tersely.

'Reserve Generator.'

The group currently present turned to see Nick standing in the doorway, Mary stood behind him, anxiously glancing outside the windows every few seconds.

'Care to explain?' Kit asked.

'This house. It has a backup generator, presumably for when the power goes out. It kicked in only a few minutes ago.'

'Okay, but why now?' Rolf wondered aloud.

'I don't know, maybe it's set to start up around this sort of time? ' Nick shrugged his shoulders.

'Does this _really _matter now? The gate will hold them for a while but once they get through–'

A great, resounding crash both interrupted Sema and told everyone that the gates had fallen.

'Of course…' Ethan muttered bitterly.

'Throw everything you can find against those windows!' Tiffany cried as she began thinking, 'We need to at least buy some time while we look for a way out.'

She rounded on Nick.

'You've stayed here longer than us, is there a back way out of this place?'

Nick stopped, in deep thought.

'No…' he began, before snapping his fingers, 'wait, yes! I think there's a gate that leads out in the yard, if we hurry then we might be able–'

He was interrupted by a loud thump on the window. A dead man's horrific visage filled the glass viewpoint, his lower jaw was missing and blood coated the nape of his hideous green short sleeved shirt. He was joined by another of his undead comrades scant seconds later, and another, and another.

Rolf swore viciously as a rotting hand punched through the glass. One window a metre away shattered entirely and one of the many corpses pulled itself through.

'Everyone out!' Tiffany barked as she took her weapon and unloaded on the invaders.

Once everyone was out the door was slammed shut and a chest was pulled in front of the door to the living room, which opened inwards. The door shook as the dead began to beat against it, clamouring for the blood of the living.

The sound of more smashing glass indicated that the barricades were failing one by one. The groans of the dead, previously filtered by the frail glass, now drowned out all sound, with the alarm sinking into the background of the infernal choir.

'That noise is going to drive me insane before this is over I just know it,' Rolf said with a snarl.

'Upstairs!' Tiffany shouted, plugging an overweight dead woman through an eye socket as it stumbled out of the study.

'Anyone with a gun form on me and hold the staircase! The rest of you find something to pile on it, stat!' Tiffany barked as she, Sema, Ellen, Cassidy, Leah and Nick lined up with her and trained their weapons on the bottom of the expansive staircase.

As the first of the dead shambled into sight Tiffany hoped the others would hurry. The dead were slow, no question about it but out of six guns she was the only trained marksman and even she couldn't be dead on a hundred per cent of the time. If the dead surged in en masse, they would be overwhelmed in moments.

Coupled with that was the ammo situation. They'd managed to scrounge a few bullets here and there in some down time but even with that she wasn't entirely sure how many rounds they'd expend before they all ran dry, and while the young Marine Captain was confident in her ability when it came to a brawl, she didn't want to risk a bite, especially when the dead never seemed to tire.

'Take your time aiming, they ain't in no hurry,' Tiffany intoned, managing to be heard even over the collective groans of the dead, now back in Officer Mode.

It was Ellen who fired first. The large .357 bullet blew the back of the monster's skull out, adding a fresh, morbid colour to the crisp, pale yellow wall paint behind it.

'Nice shot,' Tiffany remarked, 'but if anyone fires, let the rest of us know beforehand… don't want to waste two bullets on the same target.'

Ellen appeared to bite back a retort, instead settling her face into a grimacing mask as she ejected the cylinder and checked the chambers to see how many fresh bullets she possessed. The deep frown that followed told everyone present that she didn't have many.

'Move aside ladies, one obstacle coming through,' came Rolf's voice as he, Ethan and Kit rounded a corner carrying the mattress of the four-poster bed. The women and Nick moved to one side as the three men unceremoniously tossed it down the staircase.

'Right… _that'll _help loads,' Ellen murmured icily.

'It's a start,' Tiffany said, interrupting Ethan before he could say a word, 'and it's at least more of an uneven surface than the stairs themselves. Nice work guys. Keep it up,' she shared a brief glance with Kit before the latter turned with the other two to find more loose items. Sydney and Mary came back lugging a couple of chairs a minute later, by which point two more of the dead had been put down permanently and three bullets had been spent.

The dead trickled in ones and twos at first, and were relatively easily dispatched as they tripped on the mattress or fumbled over various chairs and small desks which were lobbed down the staircase. Ellen however claimed to have run out of shots and left to help find more things to help clutter the stairs and finally the siege began in earnest as the dead began to pour through the doorways, howling for blood.

Tiffany fought to control her rising panic as the tide of dead pushed ever higher. The makeshift barricade had certainly helped but it was futile as so many rotting bodies surged ever onwards, pushing their foremost foetid comrades forwards, and those the survivors killed who weren't trampled underfoot acted as a screen for those behind. In a word, their situation was dire, and she began racking her brain for any possible way out.

'Everyone! Over here!' Kit yelled, drawing their attention. Kit stood just in front of the room to one of the guest bedrooms – the one Ellen had used if she remembered correctly.

'We've got a way out!' he waved.

At that moment, had it not been the last thing she'd ever do, Tiffany wanted to jump him then and there. The Captain took over though and she steeled herself.

'All of you go, run for that room!' she shouted, firing two more shots, punching a dead man off its feet, but not killing it. The group broke formation in a disorderly manner, with Tiffany holding for a few seconds longer, making sure everyone made it before herself withdrawing. As she dashed inside Kit slammed the door shut and threw a bedframe against it.

'So what's this way out then? And where are the others?' Sema asked Kit, noticing that neither Ellen, Ethan, Rolf nor Mary were present.

'They're already outside. You see that open window there?' he pointed towards a forcibly opened window just large enough for a grown man to squeeze through, 'it leads onto the roof. I checked it out, and there's a garage we can all hop onto. We'll probably be able to jump down onto the street and make a run for it from there.'

No one said anything for a moment, all too dazed by the prospect they might actually make it out of what seemed a very dire situation.

'Well? Are we going? We've really not got much–'

No sooner had the words left his mouth when there was a slam on the other side of the guest room door.

'Okay, correction: we've got _no _time. Everyone out that window,' Kit said hurriedly.

One by one they pushed themselves through the window as the thumping grew ever more frequent. Finally with a great crash the door slammed open a fraction, rotting hands forcing their way through the open gap, their entry denied only by the bedframe which was even now shifting as the seething mass of undead pressed forward.

Eventually it was only Kit and Tiffany left in the room, the former helped hustle everyone through, while the latter had kept her gun trained on the door. Though she wasn't sure exactly how many shots she had left she was certain it numbered no more than five.

'You next,' Kit said, tapping her on the shoulder, his tone brooking no argument.

Tiffany argued anyway.

'No chance,' she said with a shake of her head, 'I'm the one with the gun here, if they break in there's going to be too many of them for you to fight.'

'You can't have all that much ammo left; I'm not leaving you here on your own.'

'I don't but it's more than you've got,' she turned to him and forced a smile.

'Trust me, okay?'

Kit held her gaze for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut and turning around to leave, it was clear for her to see that his decision had taken some willpower. Tiffany hesitated for a moment before calling out to him again.

'Hey…'

Kit turned only to feel Tiffany's lips crash against his own. The kiss was sloppy, and lasted barely a moment before Tiffany withdrew, her face strangely serene despite her raging emotions.

'For finding us a way out…' she trailed off before leaning in for another longer-lasting session.

'And for luck,' she said as she forced herself away. It had been her first and her second but she didn't regret the manner in which they'd come about, even if she wished to hell it might have happened under better circumstances. Kit stared at her in stunned surprise; it almost made the young woman want to burst out laughing.

Then the growling dead filtered back into the atmosphere and Tiffany pushed Kit towards the window, her gun locked back on the door which was now open wide enough to allow a rotting torso to gain entrance. Tiffany shot it through an empty eye socket and the creature dropped. Through her peripheral vision she noticed Kit pull his legs through the window, mere seconds later his head poked through.

'All right I'm out. Now you.'

Tiffany released a soft chuckle and turned, pulling herself through the open space as the door finally crashed open. She felt something scrape the sole of her boot and yelped in surprise, kicking out and shattering a jaw in reflex. Kit pulled her up and the two hared up the roof in the direction of the garage. The gap was roughly just over a half metre wide; everyone else was already on top of the garage, waiting only for the last two.

The pair cleared the jump with relative ease, even on the uneven surface of the roof tiles.

'Okay, now what?' asked Ethan, eyeing the streets with trepidation. His fear appeared to be justified, as while the greatest concentration of the dead lay in front of the manse, the streets still bustled with the terrible creatures.

Tiffany chewed her lip, deep in thought. No matter where they looked the dead were everywhere and more arrived each second, an unending wave of moaning, bloodthirsty bodies.

**The Mercenaries**

Felix lay on his belly on the bell tower of a small Catholic Church. He didn't think much of shooting from places such as this – they were too obvious – but in this instance the foe wasn't going to be shooting back, and as far as he was aware the dead couldn't climb. Elias had offered his assistance as a spotter but Felix had declined, in all his years as a marksman he'd never needed anyone to mark his targets for him.

He'd been surveying the manse for a good twenty minutes now, watching through his scope as the undead forced their way inside. More arrived in front of the building with each passing minute, making the sniper wonder exactly how many people had died in this town. He was about to take a quick nap when suddenly movement caught his eye. Adjusting his scope's magnification he zoomed in and raised an eyebrow when he saw the group of survivors they had been hunting scurry across the roof of the manse, leaping onto the garage.

'I'll be damned…' Felix murmured in his native tongue as he saw two other survivors join up with the group and begin surveying the streets. The house was likely overrun and the poor bunch were likely trying to figure up a plan of escape.

'Sorry boys and girls… not while I'm around,' Felix breathed as he settled into a more comfortable firing position, adjusting his aim so that his rifle pointed naturally at his intended targets. He leaned further towards his scope, taking care that he wasn't so close that the recoil would bring the scope crashing against his eye when he fired.

'Wind speed… negligible. Humidity… pfft. I could do this in my sleep if I wanted to,' he muttered to himself. Judging that he was all set, he raised his forefinger to the trigger of his sniper rifle and squeezed…

**The Survivors**

'We're just going to have to run for it,' she said.

'Through all that? I don't feel much like dying,' Ellen responded, folding her arms.

'Amen to that. I say we wait it out up here,' Rolf agreed, 'gap's wide enough and I don't think they can jump.'

'Not the point,' Tiffany said, explaining herself, 'eventually they'll figure out dinner's moved, and when they do they'll disperse in all different directions. It's better we run now while most of them are concentrated in the house. I'm not saying it's not dangerous but it's better than just sitting here–'

She was interrupted when a bullet zipped past her face, grazing her cheek.

Silence gripped the group before finally the crack of another shot reverberated throughout he town and another bullet whipped through the air. Everyone dropped.

**The Mercenaries**

Felix snarled like an animal as the shot went wide. The wind had suddenly picked up. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He adjusted his aim, reviewed the distance between him and the targets, and squeezed again.

**The Survivors**

'What the _fuck?!_' Ethan snarled.

'Someone obviously can't aim to save their lives,' Rolf muttered.

'Two shots…' Tiffany murmured, to herself, a hand pressed against her cheek, her eyes wide in disbelief.

'What is it GI Jane?' Ellen asked, 'I'd have thought you'd be used to being under fire.'

The words seemed to snap Tiffany out of her momentary stupor.

'Under fire... they're firing at _us_.'

'Why the hell would anyone be shooting at us when there are _so _many other targets to practise on?' Rolf groaned. Another shot and a bullet grazed Rolf, who yelped in surprise and pain.

'I don't know but staying up here's no longer an option. Everyone on the streets, now!' Tiffany barked. The group crawled towards the edge of the garage, each survivor warily eyeing the dead congregating in the street before their previous shelter as more bullets trailed overhead.

The dead closest to the garage noticed the dropping survivors and stumbled towards them, their distinctive moans drawing the attention of those close by.

'Hell,' Cassidy groaned as she landed awkwardly, pain flaring up her ankle. She pushed herself up, forcing herself to ignore the pain. The sniper fire stopped as Nick caught Mary who jumped off the roof of the garage, presumably he had to reload.

'Move! GO!' Tiffany shouted, and then everyone jumped off the garage, landing on the street below.

'Through the streets, avoid them if you can!' She called as she powered on through the bustling streets. The rest of the group followed her lead, dodging and weaving through any gaps they could see, avoiding grasping hands and vicious snaps. Kit and Ellen gained a lead shortly after, the former forcing undead aside with his crowbar while Ellen slipped through gaps like a natural, stabbing with her knife at anything that got too close.

Eventually they broke through the thickest concentration of undead, and while a collective sigh of relief was released, they didn't stop, for the dead were never far behind.

**The Mercenaries**

'Damnit!' Felix growled, slamming a fist against the cold stone floor of the bell tower. He thumbed his comms after mastering his temper.

'Hawkeye to Grey Lead, targets have left the house, they're moving…' he paused, recalling the layout of the map of the island, 'South-West, towards Ghost.'

Silence answered him for a moment before his earpiece squawked into life.

'Copy Hawkeye, we're in pursuit. Sending Brooks over to you. Advise you keep in that tower and keep an eye out but if you feel it's useless link up with the rest of us. RV at Ghost's location. Jäger… don't fuck up again. Grey Lead out.'

With that the link was cut. Felix bit back a curse, feeling his lips curl in distaste.

'Don't fuck up again he says. Where the hell was he then? Useless bastard. Probably couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if he stood next to it… damned Officer types.' Felix muttered under his breath as he shifted himself in the direction of their quarry and settled back into his firing position.

Elsewhere in the town, Jake settled uncomfortably behind a low fence of a private estate, praying nothing dead and hungry came too close and found a potentially free meal. His dark gear helped him blend in with the shadows but like all camouflage it would only help him so much if something stumbled in his face.

Grey Lead – Elias – had told him that the poor bastards they were hunting were headed his way. He felt nervous, twitchy. Even when he'd served as a part of the UBCS the worst he'd had to deal with was patching up a scrape caused by a loose BOW or help put it down, he'd never had to lower himself to the level so many others had. Hunting civilians – people just trying to survive… it didn't sit right with him.

Oh well, he thought to himself, the town's pretty large, chances are more likely that they'd miss him entirely. His train of thought was interrupted when a sudden movement close by caught his eye. Instincts kicked in and he squeezed the trigger, unleashing a tirade of bullets. The muzzle flash ruined his night vision and he took a moment to let the device adjust, finding, to his surprise, that there was no body. His gut started buzzing and with grim determination he leapt over the fence and snapped his weapon up.

Before him in the street was a group of eleven rag-tag individuals, each of them appeared exhausted and haggard, some in worse or better condition than others in terms of their dress. Some appeared to be wielding handguns, but it was clear that his sudden appearance had taken them by surprise even in spite of his ambush mere moments ago.

A stand-off ensued. Neither party moved so much as an iota for what felt like aeons until one of the shambling dead stumbled around the street corner, presumably following the group of survivors. In an instant Jake switched target and put three holes in the thing, the third shot punching through the skull. No sooner had he acted than his gun was trained back on the group before him.

The closest survivor, an attractive young woman in a black tank top and camouflage trousers, fixed him with a strange look before furrowing her brow in confusion.

'No doubt about it, you're Special Forces or something… so why are you trying to kill us?'

It took a moment for the question to register in Jake's head. He barely stopped himself from shaking his head like a rookie.

'I… don't know what you–'

'Not very convincing when you're pointing a gun right at us,' another woman intoned, this one had a frosty gaze and several scars on her face.

Jake closed his mouth, entirely unsure of what to do. His orders were to simply gun them down here and now and that would be it. He'd be off this crazy island with the crazy zombies and even crazier monsters. For a second, his finger lingered on the trigger.

Then movement near the back caught his eye, and a young girl stepped into view, hiding behind a burly adult with a crooked nose.

He knew then that he wouldn't fire. Couldn't fire. He just wasn't the kind of person who could so casually toss aside his humanity and gun down a young girl and ten other unarmed civilians in cold blood and chalk it up as a hard day's work. He knew he'd catch hell for it if Elias – or anyone in Grey Team – found out, but he knew he was doing the right thing, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

'Get on out of here,' he said, motioning to a side alley. None of the survivors moved at first, caught off guard. Some of them tensed, suspecting a trap.

'I'll mislead them as best I can. Get out of here before the rest of my team shows up…'

Still, no one moved.

He loosed a burst at a small cluster of undead converging on them. The sudden shots snapped the survivors out of their daze.

'Go damnit!' Jake bellowed, taking more careful aim and dropping a couple of the oncoming dead.

The woman in the tank top moved first, stopping after a few steps to gesture for the others to follow her. Each of them watched him warily, and before they stepped into the alley Jake called out to them once more.

'I can't promise they won't keep pursuing you… but if I can help it I'll see you out of this alive. Trust me,' he said, sounding much braver than he actually felt.

They paused a moment longer before disappearing into the alleyway. Barely moments after Jake released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He realised he was shaking, part out of fear of what Grey Team would do to him if they found out about the encounter and partly because of what he'd very nearly done.

The groans rose in pitch and Jake looked up to see that the cluster of dead had now become a sizeable crowd. Changing the magazine of his weapon, he racked the slide and took aim.

'Always wanted to help people…' he murmured softly, calming himself down as he sighted the closest zombie.

**-X-**

**That's all for the moment. Keep your loved ones close folks, and make sure they're feeling ok from time to time.**

**Cheers**


	17. The Snake In Our Midst

**So it turns out that I've got a bit more free time than I thought I had, so I thought I'd use that to give you all another chapter. As for those of you still waiting on Scavengers: still waiting on a few excerpts from Wandering Letters, but those of you who know him will also appreciate that he's also got his own stuff he'd like to work on so sorry but I think you're all in for a bit more of a wait.**

**On a more unrelated topic, I'd like to (shamelessly) advertise an absolutely bloody fantastic series of novels by one Jonathan Maberry. The series in question is referred to as the **_**Joe Ledger **_**series and good God it's one of the greatest feats of modern literature I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's smart, shocking, fast and Ledger is an absolutely fantastic character whose every line makes me smile (alright, slight exaggeration there but pretty damned close to it). If you like Techno-thrillers; do yourselves a favour and pick up **_**Patient Zero**_**, then go read the other books in the series, then when that's done, go pre-order **_**Extinction Machine**_** and let the magic roll over you.**

**That is all.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Eight: The Snake In Our Midst**

**The Survivors**

They hauled out of town like the devil himself pursued them. In a manner of speaking it wasn't entirely incorrect to say that might well be the case.

They ran and didn't stop running until they were a mile out of that death infested hive, stopping inside an isolated gas station. The check-out was clear, though a significantly sized crimson stain told them all that someone had met a grisly end here.

'I'm not seeing anyone out there,' Ellen said after a few minutes observation, turning away from the window.

'Would you? It's still dark out; you saw how that guy was decked out. They're probably all in black creeping up on us right now,' Ethan said in between mouthfuls of chocolate. He'd taken a few candy bars from the various displays and the others had done the same.

'I don't think so,' Tiffany murmured. All eyes turned to her.

'That guy had us then. If his orders were to kill all of us then that was the perfect time to do it, then or riddle us when we were all funnelled into that back alley with our backs to him. Letting us go and putting us on our guard wouldn't help achieve that goal… no, I think he was the real deal.'

'Okay,' Randolf spoke up to add his own two cents, 'as nice as that is – was – that still doesn't change the fact that there's still probably _an entire team _of lethal motherfuckers who want all of us dead. I don't know about you but I'd really like to know why they've singled us out of everyone else on this damned place.'

The group fell silent as they pondered the idea. It was certainly strange. If this was an effort to silence the entire island then far too many people had escaped for that to work. Maybe they were hunting for someone in particular?

At that moment Cassidy felt the memory stick jab her in the thigh, at the same time her blood ran colder than ice as she connected the dots. She prayed her face didn't show her sheer terror and that she hadn't paled too noticeably.

_They know about the memory stick._

She didn't know how they knew, but it was the only answer that made any sort of sense. She was a marked woman, and all of a sudden she felt certain that her life was well and truly over. Even if she escaped Pelanoi with the others she was probably marked, and as that line of thinking grew ever more morbid she realised that simply by associating with everyone here they were probably all targets as well. She fell deeper into despair as the thought that she had doomed everyone present to an early grave lapped at her mind.

There was no way out, not unless…

_Unless…_

No. There was a way out. She had to escape the island and bring the memory stick to the authorities, no, better yet – the BSAA. Surely they of all people would spring into action at the news that Grant & Glukhovsky were dabbling in illegal biological science, science that the defunct and corrupt Umbrella Corporation had pioneered no less. The ray of hope was small but Cassidy snatched at it, feeling her spirits lift her out of the spiral of depression. She had a mission now, and she'd see to it that it was done and the data on the memory stick saw its way to the right people.

Strength of purpose flushed her with fresh energy and she got to her feet.

'Are we going then? Surely we should make a start before the rest of the goons catch up?'

'I'm tired,' the little girl, Mary, groaned.

'No, she's right Mary. Don't worry, I'll carry you so you can try and sleep,' Nick said to her softly.

'I think that's a good idea too,' Kit said as he picked himself up from his sitting position, 'More ground we put between that town and us is more time it'll take for the rest of that black ops team to find us.'

'So what, we're all fine with the fact we're being hunted?' Leah asked incredulously.

'Course not,' Ellen snorted.

'No,' Tiffany agreed, 'but they're right, we need to put some distance between our two parties. We can all brainstorm this later, right now, moving is probably the best idea.'

She turned towards Ethan and Randolf.

'You two know the fastest way to New Rynns from this part of the island?'

Both men appeared deep in thought for a moment, before light bulbs seemed to go off in Randolf's head.

'I think if we follow the road we'll go through a rainforest. There's a preserve in there and the folks running it have an entire stash of vehicles. If we're lucky there'll still be some there cause – let's face it, no one would run deeper _into _the island when the shit hit the fan.'

Ethan nodded in affirmation.

'All right. Nice work Randolf, you've surprised me today – and if that next word out of your mouth is a pick-up line then I will hit you.'

Randolf shut his mouth and held his hands up in a placating gesture.

'Okay, take some extra food and water, then we're hauling ass to the jungle.'

'Boy, _this'll _be fun,' Ethan grumbled to himself, 'go to the place with the freaky plant life and the bugs and animals that'll tear your insides out quick as…' Tiffany shook her head at his grousing and turned to the bottled water stand, almost bumping into Kit.

'Sorry,' he murmured as he stepped out of her way. Tiffany felt herself flush as she remembered their session in the manse. It was barely half an hour ago but it seemed more like a year with adrenaline and fear pulsing through your system. She still didn't quite know what to say to him about that. She wondered what he thought of it, what he thought of her.

Ellen brushed past her to take a small bottle of water, stuffing it into a pocket and the contact brought Tiffany out of virgin school-girl mode and back into reality. Much as she wanted to address the issue of her and Kit; now was not a good time. She screwed open a bottle of still water and glugged half of it in the span of a few seconds, gasping as she realised that she was actually far more thirsty than she realised. She finished the rest of the bottle off and pocketed another.

The group left the station a minute after, the eleven survivors making a beeline for the rainforest.

**The Mercenaries**

The dead man's skull snapped with a crack that might have made an ordinary man wince. Elias had heard the sound so many times that it was beyond funny.

Not that the business of death was something to laugh at. That was for psychos and unprofessional thugs, high on all sorts of substances and convinced of their own immortality. Elias had put plenty of bullets into people like them, not as many as he'd snapped necks but a considerable number nonetheless.

There were at least a dozen of the walking dead ambling towards him on the street and if Elias were a weaker sort, he'd have simply unloaded on them with his weapon. Ammunition however, was finite, and besides, none of the others were in a position to block his path.

He wondered why films such as _Dawn of the Dead _portrayed the undead horde as something unstoppable. Certainly they were dangerous in large groups and they never tired but the zombie was slow and stupid. Depending on how long it had been dead for it could also be physically weak to the point where even a pubescent boy could fend one off without significant trouble.

Elias frowned at a sudden burst of gunfire that came from Burke's direction. Much as he wanted to check on things the press of undead had other ideas. Drawing a wickedly curved blade he rammed it into the empty eye socket of one approaching walker and was about to plant it into the forehead of another when his target's head suddenly exploded.

Elias paused a moment, his instincts already judging that it was safe to do so.

Viper stood a few metres away, G36C in hand. He greeted his commanding officer with a curt nod before unloading into the undead. Double tap for each target; one in the sternum to stun them, the next to finish them. The dead were scythed down methodically in the space of five seconds.

Elias gave a nod of gratitude. Though he didn't quite need the assistance, he'd learned long ago that it paid to show an occasional nicety every now and then to make your squad think you appreciated them. It generally improved performance. Part of him though, doubted it would have much of an effect, if any, on the enigmatic Viper.

Another burst of gunfire from Ghost's area brought Elias back into the game. He keyed into the comms.

'Grey Lead to Ghost, have you made contact with the subjects?'

Ghost did not respond, not immediately, which probably meant trouble.

'Grey team form on me, Ghost may have made contact with our quarry, we will provide support,' _or do the job ourselves_, he thought to himself. He still wasn't entirely sure Burke was committed to the mission; he frowned to himself as he considered calling his employers but decided against it. If Burke had done something to jeopardise their task Elias would execute the medic then and there. He doubted they'd miss him much seeing how almost any wound from the monsters on the island appeared to be fatal.

"Ghost to Grey Lead. Negative, have not made contact; just a bunch of these walking freak shows who almost got the drop on me. Ghost out," Elias frowned, letting something like that happen was sloppy and Ghost was lucky to be alive. The hulking merc considered chewing him out for it when they met up but decided against it.

Viper and Elias found Ghost five minutes later. True enough, several foetid corpses littered the ground. Elias raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything; Viper studied the scene, his posture changing. Had Elias been paying attention he might almost have said the man was curious.

'Have you seen the subjects?' Elias asked Burke bluntly.

'No sir,' Ghost shook his head, 'are you certain they were headed this way?'

'Jäger informed us himself; and considering he's our designated marksman I'd imagine his eyes are sharp enough for him to rely on them,' he fixed Ghost a pointed look through the special reinforced glass of his respirator mask. To his credit, Ghost returned it; maybe he did have a backbone. Elias broke the eye contact and thumbed his comms again.

'Grey Lead to Grey Team, Viper, myself and Ghost have rendezvoused at Ghost's position. Form up on that location and prepare to move, Grey Lead out,' he cut his transmission and shortly heard affirmatives from Jenkins, Brookes, Jäger and Tech. He glanced at Viper, who was standing up after examining a body of one of the dead. He shook his head and leaned against the wall of a deserted convenience store.

Jake had almost sighed in relief when Elias had turned away from him. His heart hammered inside his rib cage and sweat made him more uncomfortable as he feared he was only a second away from being shot in the head.

It hadn't happened though. Elias had bought it. He honestly thought it might be more difficult to convince him. Now all he had to do was think of a way to get Grey Team to go in the opposite direction to the group of survivors. He didn't know where they were headed, but he figured that anywhere away from there would be the best way of keeping Elias and the rest of the mercenaries away from them.

He was considering ideas when he noticed that Viper appeared to be staring at him. The visor of his helmet concealed his face entirely so Jake wasn't entirely sure that Viper was looking at him directly… but there was nothing else worth looking at in his direction was there? He turned his head around. Nothing.

When he turned around Viper was closer, strolling casually up to him as if he were about to greet him like an old friend. The mercenary turned his head towards the scattered bodies of undead.

'Rather a lot of shell casings on the floor… lot of marks on that wall over there too,' he motioned towards the wall of a house that he had unloaded on when he'd fired at the survivors. As usual his accent and tone of voice were impossible to pin down because of that damned helmet and whatever contraptions lined its interior.

'Not many wounds on the dead either,' he observed, 'someone might think you were shooting at someone else,'

'_Someone_ hasn't been jumped and almost killed by a mob of dead people trying to eat you,' Jake retorted angrily, 'I told you, those dead guys came out of nowhere. I panicked okay? That what you wanted to hear?' he felt his pulse quicken.

Viper said nothing for a moment; he tilted his head like an inquisitive dog, then set it back to its natural angle.

'So, how are William and Liza?' he asked suddenly. Jake felt his blood run cold. Those were the names of his–

'I imagine they're sitting pretty back in the States, enjoying their afternoon walks, utterly ignorant of the fact that both their sons are paid murderers,' Jake almost slugged him, but restrained himself. Acting out would only prove any suspicions he had.

Instead, he grit his teeth – if only to prevent them from chattering – and ground out a question.

'What the hell is your game?' Jake was not a particularly violent man by nature, but every fibre of his being was screaming for him to take action against this dangerous individual.

Viper said nothing. In fact, he simply turned away from Jake and took lookout, standing behind an abandoned Ford car, his attention turned outwards. It took all of Jake's willpower not to pursue him and demand some answers.

Even when the others arrived several minutes later, Jake's attention was still fixed on Viper. He wondered at first, but now he knew for certain that there was much, much more to the mysterious mercenary than a mere killer of men. As Grey Team moved out South-West in the direction of the group of survivors, Jake felt a knot in his gut when Viper looked at him again. He'd almost swear the bastard was smiling at him.

**-X-**

**Breather chapter. As always C&C is appreciated and encouraged.**

**Zips out.**


	18. Encounter in the Grasslands

**Greetings from Den Haag, and goddamn it is so much nicer here than my home in the UK. Makes the inevitable move easier to handle, though I guess I'll miss my friends and family. I'd better start practising Dutch.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Nine: Encounter in the Grasslands**

**The Survivors**

They were dead on their feet, but they kept walking. To slow down would be to die, whether from the walking dead, the monsters that now infested the once paradisiacal island, or the mercenaries in black who seemed all too eager to fill them with holes bar one.

'So whose bright idea was this again?' Randolf asked wearily, using his battered, bloody boat paddle as a walking stick.

'Yours,' replied Ethan curtly, appearing even more cranky than usual.

'Any chance we can just take a small breather?' Leah asked herself aloud. 'It's not like we won't see anything coming; it's bright enough.'

Sema glanced around. The sun was beginning to crest the horizon, and the colourless dark was slowly giving way to sparse, illuminating rays of sunlight. The group currently travelled through grasslands that put the most picturesque spans of Africa to shame. It was also flat, open ground, and unless a man was crouching on all fours there was little chance of anyone passing through the plain without either party spotting the other. The tropical forest Randolf had pointed out loomed in the distance, and despite his initial assurances Sema couldn't help but feel a dread sense of foreboding.

Sema retrieved a transparent pouch from one of the pockets she hadn't filled with various other items from the gas station and inspected the contents. She frowned as she realised that she had used up almost all her herbs patching up the various scrapes and cuts everyone had received escaping the town. Sema scanned the earth but it was still too dark to make out anything beneath the tall grass which came up to their knees.

She made a mental note to look for more herbs when it got brighter, the tropical forest ahead would probably have a wide variety of medicinal plants she could put to use in the name of healing.

'Not a good idea,' Tiffany finally replied to Leah's earlier question, though she must have been aware as the rest of them that the young woman was only thinking aloud. No one had stopped trudging onwards, though Mary the British teen seemed to have fallen asleep on Nick's back. Sema spent a brief moment envying the luxury of sleep Mary presently enjoyed before her thoughts were dragged back to her own exhaustion.

'It works both ways, anything heading our way will be able to see us; monsters and mercs, and we don't have the firepower to take on either.'

'I know,' Leah groaned, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

'Don't suppose any of you is hiding a cup of coffee anywhere? Or anything with caffeine at all?' Cassidy asked. No one replied. 'I didn't think so,' she said with a yawn.

They proceeded the next dozen yards in silence until suddenly Randolf yelped in surprise. Suddenly alert (or as alert as they could be) everyone turned to him, weapons in varying states of readiness.

'What is it?' Tiffany asked quickly.

'I felt something touch my leg,' Randolf answered, shifting grass with his legs and holding his paddle over his head to bring it crashing down on any potential threat hiding in the grass.

A minute's tense silence passed, with the group holding a collective breath, keeping a watchful eye on the grass for any sign of unnatural movement. Finally everyone relaxed a fraction.

'You sure you felt something?' Tiffany asked.

'You think I'd kick up a fuss over nothing?' Randolf asked, incredulous. Tiffany gave him a pointed look and Randolf almost sighed in exasperation. 'Look, I'm a horn dog and I'd be one of the first to admit it but I'm no liar!'

'All right, all right,' Tiffany waved her arms in a placating gesture, 'look we're all pretty exhausted, maybe you just brushed a rock or a plant or something.'

Randolf nodded but anyone could tell he was far from convinced, both by the look on his face and the wary glances he was giving the grass at his feet.

At that moment, Mary stirred, roused by the commotion the adults had caused. She blinked sleepily, rubbing her eyes before she was finally awake enough to find out what the fuss was about. Movement just out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to her right. Peering intently at the spot she believed was the source of the movement, she caught what seemed to be a shimmer. It seemed almost to be in the shape of… no, she thought to herself, that couldn't be right at all, such a thing was impossible.

It was only the reminder that the dead now walked and monsters from her most horrific nightmares prowled the streets that made her suddenly cry out a warning.

At that point, the creature struck.

It was dozens of metres long and just under half a metre thick, thin enough to glide easily through the grass without anyone noticing unless it reared its scaly head. It appeared to be a snake at first, but the gaping jaw and the rows of dagger sharp teeth made many of the survivors wonder if there wasn't some lizard involved in its creation.

Had this particular specimen, dubbed 'Maw' for the way it seemed able to devour near most anything it had come across, encountered the survivors earlier in the outbreak on Pelanoi it would no doubt had slaughtered everyone present. While far from battle hardened however, the men and women had grown somewhat accustomed to the existence of strange, unbelievable creatures.

This experience saved their lives.

So when the beast struck, its gaping jaw the only visible part of the monstrosity, the survivors had leapt clear, learning early on that to waste precious seconds searching for the source of an imminent attack was to invite an early, messy death. The beast rushed past them, realising it had missed and slithering into the grass where its reflective hide concealed it entirely from view.

'Okay, what the _fuck?_' Randolf asked as he picked himself up before raising his paddle, placing it between himself and any harm from a front attack.

'What he said,' Ethan said as he scanned the grass with his one good eye.

'It was almost completely invisible until it opened its mouth, its skin probably consists of some properties with light-reflective capabilities,' Tiffany said, her handgun raised, though many doubted it would be too useful against such a creature unless she was particularly lucky.

'Those are some pretty big words GI Jane, I'm almost impressed,' Ellen snarled, taking her revolver out before remembering it was out of ammunition. Her lips curled in distaste as she holstered it and drew her combat knife, crouching into a low stance.

'Please everyone this is really not the best time for arguments,' Cassidy pleaded, both hands on her own gun.

'I'm rather inclined to agree,' Sema murmured, her eyes darting all over the grass, watching for the slightest hint of movement.

Sydney turned herself and clutched her bat tightly so as to cover Cassidy from behind; Kit placed himself close to the centre, ideally to allow him to assist whoever the snake creature attacked next. Leah took a similar position while Mary clung to Nick, her small hands white as she kept hold with all her might, and almost strangling the poor man in her fear.

They waited for a full minute. Two. Three. Then five with no further attack. The tension was almost palpable as the survivors jumped at movements caused by the light wind.

'Think it's gone?' Sydney dared to ask.

'Wouldn't count on it,' Randolf replied in a low voice, 'every time in the movies people think the monster's gone, it comes back and takes–'

Ethan suddenly fell over. He had time to yelp in surprise before he was winded by the sudden fall. Then he was being dragged away through the grass at an impossibly fast pace.

'Ethan!' Someone cried, but no one paid much attention as to who it was.

'Help me!' Ethan cried as he was dragged further away. The group sprang in his direction. Kit sprinted ahead, quickly putting some distance between himself and the rest of the group in his effort to save the beleaguered young man. He caught the vaguest movement in the corner of his eye before the tail of the snake monster slapped him in the face with the force of a sports bat. The impact took Kit off his feet and he crashed into the grass, groaning as he nursed his jaw. Tiffany sped by after giving him a worried glance, while Cassidy and Sydney paused to check on him and help him up.

Tiffany was a quick runner – her Marine training had not been for show – but she realised the monster was gaining ground. Racking her brain, she called out to Ellen in between frantic gulps of air:

'Ellen! You take it!'

'Why me?' Ellen demanded, and Tiffany hoped that she wasn't considering simply leaving Ethan to die at the jaws of the snake.

'You're the fastest runner out of all of us now get on it before we lose them both!'

Ellen continued at her previous pace before shaking her head and muttering several expletive curses before she shot off like a rocket after Ethan and the snake through the long grass. She caught up in moments and, judging she had a good enough lead, leapt with her knife at ready.

'You owe me for this Cyclops!' she bellowed. Fortune favoured her knife arm, and she drove the blade through photo-reflective scales and into the flesh beneath. Chilled maroon blood jetted out of the entrance wound and Ellen heard a baleful hiss. The snake suddenly jerked forwards and Ellen almost lost her weapon and the hand still clutching onto the blade as it pulled away. A series of pained grunts told Ellen that Ethan had been released. A few moments later he picked himself up, ruffled and covered in dirt, but alive.

'… thanks…' he said after a moment to collect his breath. Ellen seemed almost surprised he'd bothered to thank her at all, and tipped her head in acknowledgement.

The rest of the group caught up moments later, panting and out of breath.

'I don't know about you but I vote for getting out of this grass ASAP,' Randolf said in between tired pants.

'Yeah let's get on that right away,' Ethan said, dusting himself off and shaking out his battered body. 'Oh wait!' he said, spreading his arms outwards, making a show of observing his surroundings. The long grass stretched until it reached the canopy of the forest ahead of them and going back was certainly not an option.

'This sucks,' Sydney moaned.

'Tell me about it,' murmured Ellen, very much in accord with the teen, flicking a few strands of hair out of her face.

'Can we not stand here talking about how shitty our situation is and actually do something about it?' Nick asked, his tone a mixture of irritation and fear. Mary popped her head over his shoulder and nodded eagerly.

No one said anything, instead taking off collectively in the direction of the forest, as though convinced it might provide sanctuary from the monster.

They got no more than five metres when it attacked again.

This time however, they heard it coming. Perhaps it had sensed their urgency and decided that, now its cover was blown, it could simply strike with such overwhelming speed that the prey would be unable to react. Or perhaps it was driven to rashness by the pain it experienced at Ellen's hands. Regardless, the rustling of grass and the hiss of the enraged beast gave the men and women infinitely more warning than before.

The yawning maw of the beast sprang from the grass, the dagger teeth and darting forked tongue diving for Kit, who swayed to the side with barely a nanometre to spare him from a painful death. The monster continued its dive, slithering back into the grass, likely to turn and prepare for another lunge. The survivors kept running, lungs burning and limbs aching and protesting against the prolonged exertion.

'Nearly there! Keep going!' Sema gasped. The distance was indeed shortening, but there was still much grassland to cover before they reached the forest, and even then it likely would not provide them much in the way of safety.

The snake lunged again, tearing through the grass in front of the survivors, its slavering like a black hole that reeked of rotting flesh and blood. Ellen and Leah threw themselves aside, letting the monstrous reptile pass them without harm where it slunk off to prepare for another ambush.

Finally they made it. Thick, tall trees and dense foliage whipped against the men and women as they charged through the undergrowth. Even then however they didn't stop running. Randolf, who had somehow managed to make it to the front of the group, suddenly pointed forwards.

'There it is! Holy shit there it is!'

The sign told them they were now entering the Pelanoi Wildlife Preserve. Just a hundred metres further was a small compound where – if Randolf was correct – they would find some transportation to take them to New Rynns City. The sight of the building revitalised the ragged survivors and their pace increased as they tore towards the building like men and women possessed.

A slightly ajar door leading to a lobby teased the survivors with the tantalising promise of safety and Kit, the first one through, practically threw it open. Scanning for threats and seeing none, he ushered everyone else through before slamming it shut, twisting the lock and bracing a chair against it. Nothing followed them through but Kit was certain he heard a soft hiss. He waited for the inevitable attack, but it never came.

He turned to the rest of the survivors, most of whom were doubled over catching their breath.

'I really should have put more effort in when I did track,' Randolf gasped.

No one said anything in response, too breathless to muster up even the simplest of words. After a full two minutes everyone, upon some unspoken signal, picked themselves up and took stock of their surroundings fully. The lobby was small, a desk with information leaflets for tourists sat just before a set of double doors, with a single, bland metal door just a few metres down from this. A pool of dried blood that had seeped underneath the gap of the single door spread out for almost a metre from the door and, presumably, its source on the other side.

A clatter reverberated from somewhere deep within the building, and the survivors jumped at the sudden noise. Almost immediately afterwards a soulless moan that had become entirely too familiar to them filtered through winding corridors to reach their ears.

'It's never over on this place is it?' Ellen muttered bitterly.

One by one the men and women thrown together by chance picked up their weapons and prepared themselves for the march onward and the dangers that would follow.

**The Mercenaries**

'You sure? This looks like a fantastic spot for an ambush.'

'You asked me to look so I damn well did, and all the signs tell me they went this way,' Felix argued. Elias cast a clinical eye over the grasslands before them. They could have gone in almost any direction from here and but for Felix and Natalia's sharp eyes they might well have lost them entirely.

Unlike Natalia however, who simply told the situation as it was and accepted her orders without complaint, ensuring that they were carried out to maximum efficiency, Felix, he felt, was quickly becoming a liability. He had failed to so much as wound the prey in Ryder House and his attitude would have seen him discharged in a matter of weeks in the British Army. He wondered if he shouldn't have petitioned for a different choice in marksmen when he selected the dossiers Grant & Glukhovsky had given him.

He decided to give Felix one more chance to prove that he wasn't just dead weight. He'd figure out what exactly this chance would entail later. For now they had to catch up with the targets, which had evidently stopped off at a gas station earlier on, as some of the shelves lined with candy and other snacks appeared to have been raided. When he had noticed this he had thought back to Burke's claim that no one had passed him except for a group of undead. He shook his head, putting it behind him for now.

'Grey Team move out. Loose formation, ten metre spread. Anyone sees anything and I want to know about it before you start shooting.'

A chorus of 'yes sir's followed and the mercenary team stalked forwards, their weapons lowered but held in a way to allow the mercenaries to bring them up and lock onto a potential target in a heartbeat. The distant sounds of civilization being violently cast down were muted here, or maybe it was because everyone was dead. It mattered little, Elias' mission was to find and neutralise whoever had lifted the data from the Grant & Glukhovsky lab and make sure the data drive was reduced to atoms.

Burke and Jäger were either side of him as they advanced through the long grass. It was entirely so he could keep an eye on the two; the former for dissent regarding their mission parameters and the latter to check any insubordination.

The team continued forwards for several metres before Jäger held up a fist before pressing the scope of his rifle to one eye.

'Jäger?' Elias asked.

'Something moving ahead of us,' he replied, all business. Elias was almost impressed.

'What is it?'

'Not sure… looks… I can't explain it but I don't think it's human.'

'Kill it,' Elias commanded. Felix gave him a look before steadying his breathing. Finally he squeezed the trigger and the PSG1 rifle roared. A spurt of dark blood and an inhuman hiss of agony rewarded Felix's efforts. The grass about fifty metres ahead rippled with sudden movement which grew rapidly closer with each passing moment. Whatever Felix had shot, it was still alive and it was coming for them.

'Grey Team, possible BOW contact at twelve O'clock! Forty metres! I want a killzone two minutes ago!'

Grey Team sprang into action in the time it takes a man to blink. Weapons were raised and within moments they chattered to noisy life, shredding through the grass and perforating whatever monstrosity was headed their way with bullets of all calibres.

'Cease fire!' Elias bellowed and the noise abruptly stopped. An unsettling silence descended upon the grasslands that Elias had always associated as the calm after a particularly brutal storm.

No one moved for a minute, their eyes scanning the grass for any further movement. Elias turned his head towards Alaina and motioned for her to move up. Nodding, the Irish mercenary racked her shotgun and took several cautious steps forward; sweeping her weapon side to side every few seconds in case whatever it was they had shot at wasn't dead.

She stopped after stalking forwards a dozen metres. She turned to the rest of Grey Team and signalled that their target was dead. Elias approached her position with his own weapon lowered. The rest of Grey Team wasn't far behind.

'What was it?' Elias asked.

'Got no idea,' Alaina replied, her brogue as thick as ever. 'Thing's fucking invisible. Only saw it cause of all the bullet wounds leaking blood all over the place.'

Elias trailed his gaze over the bullet wounds that seemed to float in mid-air… no, not quite. If he concentrated he could make out a slight shimmer, which was likely the hide of the BOW (for there was nothing else this thing could possibly be). It appeared to be fairly long; Elias estimated around ten metres. From what he could tell it looked like some kind of hideously enlarged snake. He spent a further minute observing the lifeless carcass before he turned to give the order to move on again.

A soft hiss made him spin around, and he caught sight of what was most certainly a lizard's yawning maw, filled with teeth and wide enough to swallow him whole, which Elias believed was its goal. He dived to the right and the BOW shot past him, disappearing into the grass before the rest of Grey Team could react.

The mercenaries scrambled into a defensive circle with weapons facing outwards, eyes watchful and alert for any sign of the other creature. The hissing returned but it seemed louder. Felix cursed in his native German.

'Jäger?' said Elias, an expectant note to his voice.

Felix's eyes darted all over the grasslands that extended before him, his long-barrelled PSG1 was still clutched tightly in his hands and his lips were curled into a distasteful snarl.

'Listen,' he urged. Elias shook his head, unclear as to what the sniper was getting at. All he could hear was that damned hissing.

'There's more than one of them…'

**-X-**

**No end of chapter author's note this time except to tell you that I'm entering my exam period soon and those of you in education will probably be in similar circumstances. Don't imagine many of you were expecting quick updates anyway but this will put a dent in any free writing I do for a while.**

**Otherwise, enjoy, read and rate. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

**Zips out.**


	19. Unpleasant Encounters of the Close Kind

**This update brought to you by some kick-ass tracks from Brit band We Are The Ocean, getting me in a good enough mood to shift my rear in gear. Also as I'm in a good mood because my exams are done, done, **_**done!**_

**I'd also like to give a shout out to evolution-500 who's been pretty brilliant at pointing out typos, grammar errors and various other mistakes I've made writing this. I'd also recommend checking out his story **_**A Star's Descent**_**. It's good. Really good.**

**The Pelanoi Accounts**

**Chapter Ten: Unpleasant Encounters of the Close Kind**

**The Survivors**

Barricaded in the lobby of the Pelanoi Wildlife Preserve Ranger Station, the group of ten adults plus one teen pondered their next move. The attack from the invisible BOW outside had shaken them all, but they had overcome the odds once again. Were it a unit of trained soldiers, Tiffany had little doubt there would be several wisecracks and jokes underlying their relief at having survived a seemingly impossible situation.

Unfortunately, all save one were civilians. Certainly a hardier sort than most, but civilians nonetheless, and the fatigue coupled with the attacks and the threat of the black ops team had them all on edge. Leaning against the wall next to the entrance Randolf wouldn't stop rapping his fingers on the handle of his boat paddle; close by sat Ethan who kept twitching every few moments. Further along was Ellen, who gave off an even frostier aura than she had before. In another part of the lobby Sydney was clutching the hilt of her bat so tight her knuckles were white and even Kit seemed out of it, pacing up and down next to the reception desk while Cassidy had her hands shoved into her pocket and seemed to be fiddling with something inside them. Observing all of this was Nick, who was crouched next to the tired teenager, Mary, who had propped herself on a steel chair, while she caught some more Zs, Nick, fulfilling his role of guardian was warily eyeing the rest of the group as if he trusted them all about as much as the monsters prowling the island.

Only Sema, and, strangely enough, Leah, appeared to be restraining their nervous habits, though Tiffany wondered if their comparatively serene expressions were a simple façade that would fall apart if she pressed too hard. The atmosphere was tense and the stink of gore and the groans of the dead echoing from deeper inside the building helped none. Even more concerning was the soft hiss that Tiffany was convinced originated from that infernal creature they had escaped mere moments ago.

Or had they?

Aside from the muffled groans and clatter of various equipment and loose items the walking dead stumbled into and knocked over in their drive to rend and tear and feast and the low hum of machinery… wait…

_Machinery?_

She sat bolt upright and got up off the floor, striding purposefully towards the reception desk. She vaulted effortlessly over and almost tripped over a headless, half-eaten body. Stifling a cry of revulsion she regained her footing and checked the receptionists' side of the front desk. Two consoles stared at her; one smashed and bloodstained, the other dull but definitely on.

She took hold of a small black computer mouse and wiggled it. Sure enough the screen flashed and a login screen winked into existence. 'Your session has timed out. Please log in.'

Tiffany breathed out a curse. Of course it wouldn't be as simple as that. The young marine captain glanced at the body, then back to the screen. She released a heavy sigh before ducking beneath the desk, slipping her fingers into the pockets of the cadaver, trying not to think about the drying blood that felt like sticky jam and the smell of raw meat.

'What are you doing?'

Kit's voice penetrating the sullen silence made her jump. She glanced up at him staring down at her, curiosity present in his expression. She noticed that the others were also coming closer, her sudden action arousing their collective interest.

Kit saw the body and Tiffany's hand halfway into a trouser pocket. He gave her a questioning look.

'Um…' she started, 'it's uh – ahem.' She cleared her throat and decided to start from the beginning. 'You hear that?'

Kit and the others paused, some tilting their heads to better listen.

'What? The ghouls and the mess they're no doubt making?' Randolf said after a moment's listening.

'No. The machinery. You can hear it humming.'

'So?' The Australian man asked, raising an eyebrow.

'So this place still has power. Maybe we can access the security and see what we've got here. The receptionists' desk needs a password to log in though, I thought that…' she trailed off as she properly took in the sorry state of the corpse she was searching. The head looked as though it had been well and truly gnawed off, the left arm was missing, as were both legs below the knees, and the stomach of what had once been a man was ripped open. Most of the innards were gone and there was so much blood that it was impossible to tell the original colour of both shirt and trousers.

'God…' Tiffany murmured. She had seen this kind of carnage, worse even, in Elspeth City when the shit had truly hit the fan but there she had been near constantly on the move. Now she had time to actually take stock of it all…

She threw up before she could so much as brace herself, soaking the smooth, blood-slick floor with her mulched-up breakfast (which had consisted of two candy bars washed down with water, and she suspected the others all had similar meals). She stayed in her hunched over position for a minute, her eyes fixed on the bloody carcass. Finally she withdrew her hand and turned away, unable to look any longer, taking deep breaths to calm her roiling insides.

'You okay?' Kit asked, concern lacing his croaky, tired voice.

'No,' she replied, 'but thanks for asking.'

She took another breath before picking herself up off the floor, steadying herself against the desk, shutting her eyes, waiting to see if her stomach would try expelling its contents again. It didn't. She turned to face the others, who, thankfully, had given her a little space.

'Okay,' she began, 'we clearly aren't going to get much done here so we've got to go deeper–'

'That's what she–' Randolf began before a sharp look shut him up.

'As I was saying, we need to head deeper into the building. Maybe we'll find a security room that we can use to scope out the rest of the place.'

'Or the vehicle bay with a working van if we're _really _lucky,' Ethan muttered.

'Luck's not been much of a pal so far, why would it start now?' Sema murmured under her breath, her frustration and weariness plain for all to see. Tiffany raised a brow at the defeatist attitude but didn't say anything, chalking it up to fatigue and one life-threatening situation after the other. She glanced at the screens on the desk again, her gaze lingering over it until finally it rested on a set of drawers to the right side of the desk.

She wasted no time and reached for the top drawer, pulling it open. A lot of files with reports on visits, a few pens and a highlighter and…

She felt a triumphant grin spread across her face as she pulled out a set of keys and jangled it in front of the group.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, sceptical, 'Okay, that'll make getting around easier but–'

Going for the hat trick, Tiffany reached inside that same desk and pulled out a map of the facility. Ethan shut up.

Everyone clustered around the map, currently they were in the reception area, and the vehicle bay was on the other side of the building. The security station was just beyond a server room past a few nondescript corridors, not far from their current location. Moments later they were off deeper into the facility and the groaning of the dead began to increase in volume.

'Can't tell any of you how much I wish he'd shut the hell up,' Ethan muttered.

'Ditto,' Leah murmured in agreement. Ellen said nothing, but inclined her head softly.

'Well I'm sure you'll have the opportunity to tell him yourselves,' Tiffany said as they stopped outside the server room, 'because my ears are telling me he's just beyond this door.'

Everyone tensed and placed firmer grips on their weapons.

'No firearms,' Tiffany warned, placing a hand on the door handle, 'we really don't want to damage anything and we've got precious few bullets as it is.' No sooner had she finished speaking when Ethan looked as if he'd been thunderstruck. Pausing, he reached into his pockets and retrieved four bullets before handing them to Ellen.

'Think they'll fit your gun.'

Ellen stared at him a moment, 'You didn't think you could have given these to me earlier?'

'Earlier I thought if I gave them to you, you'd shoot me.'

'You think I'd jeopardise our collective safety – and by extension, my _own _safety – by shooting an extra pair of hands?' She shook her head before taking her revolver out, ejecting the spent casings and loading the four shots.

'Thank you?' Ethan offered.

'Bite me.'

'Fuck you then.'

'If you two are done?' Tiffany said, tapping her foot impatiently. Ellen replaced her weapon and drew her combat knife. Ethan glowered at her for a moment before hefting his battered fire axe.

'Yeah, yeah, let's break some heads. Rah, rah, rah and all that crap.'

Tiffany pulled the door open and Ellen and Kit rushed inside. The groaning reached a crescendo and collectively, everyone realised that there was more than one.

'Five!' Ellen shouted as she avoided a clumsy swipe from a zombie whose lower jaw hung from a loose strip of flesh. Kit meanwhile, had rushed almost straight into the open arms of a zombie wearing a Park Ranger's uniform. The rotting foe enclosed its arms around Kit and lunged for his face. Kit reacted instantly, diving into the attack, letting the slavering jaws of the dead man pass just over his head. He winced as he felt its teeth clamp onto a lock of his hair and tear.

Kit suppressed a yelp of pain and drew both hands inside, placing them firmly on the dead man's upper body before hunching himself low and pushing with as much force as he could muster. The attack both pushed the zombie off balance and allowed Kit to slip out of the creature's embrace. Recovering quickly, Kit raised his crowbar and drove it three times into the fallen monster's skull.

While he was preoccupied with his own opponent, Ellen dispatched her foe, planting her knife into the zombie's skull with a sneer of contempt contorting her features. She felt cold arms grip her as one of the other dead cloistered in the room lunged at her, its head lowered to take a bite out of her neck. One arm was pinned by the zombie's deceptively strong grip while the other was gripped on the knife which was still stuck in her original opponent's cranium.

A paddle smashed into the head of the zombie, batting its head to the side and knocking out several teeth. Using the distraction, Ellen relinquished her grip on her knife and turned herself around; gripping the zombie's own arm and slamming it face first against a computer server, holding it steady as it gnashed and snapped. Clearly she had forgotten her opponent was no longer human, or even among the living, as it suddenly twisted with enough force to dislocate its own arm. Suddenly Ellen was the one unbalanced and the zombie was diving for her throat, its horrible, red maw opening like a great abyss, yearning for its hunger to be satiated.

The creature's head split like a ripe melon as the head of an axe buried itself in the top of the monster's cranium. The zombie stumbled before collapsing in a heap at Ellen's feet. Ethan and Rolf stood behind her, Rolf guarding the two while Ethan tugged at his fire axe. As he was working he glanced up at Ellen.

'Can I get a thank you now?'

'Bite me,' she replied again, but there was the ghost of a smile on her lips and something Ethan could almost mistake for gratitude in her eyes.

'Hm. It'll do,' he grunted.

The remaining two zombies were a good deal further away, deeper into the server room, too far to be too much of a threat. They were dispatched anyway. The fewer surprises the better as far as everyone was concerned. Tiffany unlocked the Security Room (noting the scratch and bloody hand-print marks on the outside of the door) and they stepped inside.

The room was fairly spacious, a desk sat at the far end of the room with at least a dozen monitors and a mouse and keyboard perched atop it. Sat in front of it was a chair, as well as the body of a Park Ranger who was missing the top of his head. A revolver was clutched in one hand and his left arm was a mess of savage bites. There were no doubts as to what had occurred here. Ellen relieved him of the weapon and checked his pockets for any extra bullets, finding five. She left the gun on the desk, and eventually Kit took it.

A small table sat in the centre of the room, a tiny thing with coffee stains peppering it around the edges but was otherwise a dismal sight. A set of lockers sat just opposite it at the other end of the room and it was here that Tiffany was most interested in. She took the keys and began trying each of the locks. To her surprise most of the lockers were already open. Disappointingly these same lockers were also empty, save for an empty tranquiliser gun. The final two lockers opened without much further fuss. The first of which contained a brown bomber jacket and a set of trading cards, as well as a photo of a smiling family on the coastline, the sight of which made Tiffany's heart ache.

On the final locker they hit pay dirt.

The vehicle keys could not have been anything else, and the sight of them drew many a breath of relief from the exhausted survivors.

'All right, once we get out of here we drive down to the coast and then–'

A low hiss, full of threat and the promise of bloodshed, reverberated through the room. Everyone froze.

'We really can't catch a goddamn break can we?' Randolf groaned.

'Everybody out!' Tiffany bellowed. In seconds they were back into the server room–

– and into the open jaws of the snake.

**The Mercenaries**

'Form up! Guns out!'

In seconds Grey Team formed a tight circle, weapons scanning the grass for even the slightest hint of activity. If the BOWs surrounding them were invisible, then watching the grass would be the only warning they would ever get.

'Jenkins, I want as much high explosive on our surroundings as you can put out and I want it five minutes ago.'

Alaina looked at Elias as though he'd asked her to marry him, her eager, psychotic grin complimenting her impish features. Unhooking a bandolier slung across her body, she retrieved every grenade (and there were a lot of grenades) before priming them one after the other, her fingers moving so quickly it was almost inhuman and in the space of a second more than a dozen explosives whistled through the air to land a comfortable distance away from Grey Team.

'Fire in the hole!' Alaina roared. Grey Team ducked as one as the first of the explosive charges detonated, swathing the grasslands in torn mud, shredded grass and burning meat. The dust did not settle for almost five minutes, and in that time Grey Team had their fingers on triggers and were looking for anything that so much as dared to poke its misshapen head through the thick clouds of particles.

'Wow,' Natalia murmured in admiration as she observed the carnage. Tech whistled appreciatively and Alaina observed her work like a proud mother observes her child. The ruined carcasses of three of the invisible BOWs littered the craters that had once been a part of the grassland.

'Good work,' Elias grunted. Alaina inclined her head and racked her shotgun. Elias almost smiled under his gas mask. Not one of them had any doubts that there weren't more of the creatures that had doubled back from Alaina's firestorm. True enough, moments later the hissing was back, and it had risen to a fever pitch.

'Maintain formation. You see anything so much as twitch funny and you riddle it.'

A chorus of affirmatives followed and then, aside from the hissing, a relative silence followed as Grey kept their eyes on the tall grass.

'Incoming!'

The warning came from Viper, his strange helmet distorting his vocals. Any other unit would have focused on Viper's strange voice rather than any imminent danger.

It was just as well then, that Viper was not working just any other unit.

Each one of the mercenaries scattered as a yawning, reptilian maw lunged for the centre of their formation, passing harmlessly by as the mercenaries rolled out of its path. Each of them brought their weapons up in moments, and each of them came face to face with their own monstrosity.

Viper acted first, opening up with his G36C, perforating the creature from head to tail but the wounds only seemed to enrage the BOW and it coiled in on itself and pounced in the time it took to blink. Viper displayed no hesitation, dropping his gun – it would be useless at such a close range – and instead unsheathing his combat knife. The BOW leapt and Viper ducked underneath it, but kept his knife at a steady level, allowing the snake to rip itself open on the razor sharp edge. The monster hissed as its guts pooled out into the grassland and finally lay still. Viper took a moment observing the reflective hide of the creature and its entirely visible innards before reaching into a pouch and taking out a medi-wipe and a small, glass beaker. Reaching into the guts of the creature he took a swab before placing the wipe inside the beaker and replacing it in the pouch. His task finished, he turned from the carcass to see how the rest of the team was doing.

**-X-**

Alaina was the fist of God. Her blood was up from her fiery display scant minutes earlier and she was still running on high. The yawning maw would have provided a moment's hesitation – fatal hesitation – any day before Pelanoi. Now it was an oversized target. She unloaded shot after shot into the open mouth of the creature, which recoiled from the spread shot and bled from dozens of lacerations that would have dropped a charging rhino. She fired off the last pellet in the chamber before snapping the breach over and reaching into a pouch labelled 'Special Occasions' on her hip.

A sadistic smile overtook her as she loaded the custom-made round and she pumped her weapon enthusiastically as the BOW recovered and lunged just as Alaina raised her weapon.

The explosive round tore the upper jaw – and most of the BOW's head – clean off. The headless BOW seemed to paused, as if considering its headless state, before shuddering horrifically and falling to the earth with a heavy _thump_. Alaina reloaded her weapon and spat on the carcass of the monstrosity before turning to help the rest of her team.

**-X-**

Tech was by far the youngest of the mercenaries, but he was determined not to be cowed by the arguably more experienced men and women of Grey Team. So when he came up, he came up shooting. Shot after shot found its home in the thick hide of the BOW that had so foolishly chosen him as its prey. As his MP9 spat death he reached with one hand for the M1832 Artillery Short sword sheathed at his waist before drawing it in an instant, dragging it across the belly of the great serpent in the same, fluid motion.

The creature hissed in pain and dived, but its aim was spoiled by its agony and it glided past the young mercenary harmlessly. Realising its mistake, the creature lashed out with its tail but Tech had predicted such an attack and crouched low, letting the tail rush over his mask. The monster disappeared into the grass but Tech was confident the monster would come back. While his expertise lay more in technology, he had spent some time reading up on predators as a young child. It had bored him; and amusingly enough he found that apex predators such as the creature he fought now were not too dissimilar in temperament to the young adults he had witnessed in higher education: if wounded by their prey; they would come back.

Tech knew that his best chance to slay the monster lay in the next attack the monster would unleash. The monster was wounded and enraged, which would dull its intellect, taking into account the motion of the grass with the wind, which was negligible at best, and the BOW should be–

'Right… there!' he breathed as the BOW burst from the grass at exactly the point Tech had calculated. He smirked beneath his mask and raised his blade like a duellist, feeling entirely calm as the monster drew ever closer. He thought for a moment that the monster realised what was about to occur, but dismissed it as the creature had not even tried to change its trajectory.

The giant snake impaled itself on Tech's short sword, the blade lancing through the soft meat of its mouth and bisecting the monster's brain. To save himself from being plowed over by the BOW's momentum, Tech took a great step back and pulled his sword from the mouth of the creature, not even bothering to check if it was dead. He wiped the blade, slick with blood, on the tall grass before craning his head to see what the rest of Grey were up to.

**-X-**

Natalia cartwheeled out of the way of the attacking creature like a professional gymnast and was on her feet with both knives in her hands a heartbeat later. Her tranquiliser pistol was holstered at her side; she knew full well that BOWs possessed a marked resistance to most toxins such as tranquiliser. A good blade on the other hand…

The beast turned and hissed balefully at Natalia, who gave it a cool smirk before crouching into a low stance. Scant seconds later the monster charged, stretching its jaw as wide as it could manage, intending on taking Natalia's leg and dragging her along the earth. Natalia hopped over the creature and dug one of her knives into the back of the monster. The sudden tug as the BOW rushed by almost dislocated her shoulder and she gasped at the sudden force before gritting her teeth and sinking her second blade deep. The snake arched its body and bucked violently, trying to throw the British mercenary from its back but Natalia held on tight, her specially designed bodysuit giving her all the grip she needed and then some.

The snake sunk into the grass and began to slither along rapidly, violently shaking itself from side in order to pitch Natalia from its hide. It almost made her laugh at how desperate it was to throw her off. She fished into a pouch and produced a small incendiary device. It wasn't quite the equal of anything her teammate Alaina could produce, but her inner pyromaniac made up for any shortcomings with determination to do better next time. Carving a hole into the side of the BOW, Natalia primed the device before cramming it into the bloody hole and relinquishing her grip on the creature.

The BOW stopped and whipped around, instantly suspicious at Natalia's sudden retreat. Its tongue flickered for a moment as it stared the woman down. All the while Natalia counted down in her head.

'And… three, two, one!' she breathed to herself. No sooner had the words left her mouth when a blinding flash emanated from the giant snake's gut like a miniature sun exploding into life. The creature mewled pathetically as the charge burned a hole in its insides, thumping its head against the ground in its death throes before finally it lay still, its guts smoking from the thermal charge. Natalia nodded in satisfaction before remembering Grey Team's current predicament, and scanned the field for her teammates.

**-X-**

Felix Jäger cursed in his native tongue as the monster encircled him, intent on crushing him like an anaconda. Holding his gun out and bracing himself as the BOW squeezed – and God it squeezed! – he reached for his combat knife and unsheathed it before plunging it clumsily into the skin of the monstrosity again and creature's grip lessened, allowing Felix to drop down to his knees and scramble out from underneath. Snatching up his PSG1 he checked the magazine before turning on the monster, his face a mask of cold fury. He squeezed and a bloody hole was blown into the freak's invisible hide.

The creature hissed and jumped at Felix, knocking him over and onto his back. He saw the faint shimmer of the BOW and panicked as the creature opened its great, yawning maw and lunged. Felix rolled and felt a strand of saliva patter against his cheek. Scrambling away, Felix reached up and soon realised that it was not the monster's saliva, but his own blood. The creature had cut him with one of its razor teeth as it had passed him.

The idea that this barbaric creature had actually wounded him offended him greatly, and a burning fury overtook him as he hefted his PSG1 and fired roughly around the bloody spot he had gouged out in the flank of the creature scant moments ago. Another gory wound sprouted seemingly out of nowhere. In a split second he had readjusted his aim and fired again. Readjust. Squeeze. Bump. Readjust. Squeeze. Bump.

He finally emptied his magazine and by the end of it, his foe's flank was a bloody ruin and the monster itself very dead. Jäger breathed a sigh of relief before sinking onto his backside.

'I do hope the next engagement will be a more distant affair,' he murmured in German.

**-X-**

Jake Burke was terrified.

The monster he faced was like something out of fiction only twice as large and three times as hungry and to top all of that off, he couldn't see the damned thing at all. The only clue he had was the infernal hissing and the rattle of gunfire close by put paid to his hopes of locating the creature by sound. Sight was the only sense that would serve him now and this monster had been engineered to entirely bypass that.

Jake swept his SG553 from side to side, adjusting his position every few seconds, his eyes flickering, each time he settled on a new patch of land he could swear he caught the slightest glimpse of movement, but could he be sure? It seemed that his only consolation was that while Grey Team was preoccupied with these monsters, that group of people had more time to put some distance between themselves and Grey Team. He had almost cursed when Viper had put them on the right track, and had considered arguing for a different path, but to do so would have aroused suspicion, and Jake was no good to anyone dead. Despite it all, he didn't really want to see any of his teammates die either, even knowing full well what they would do should they find out he helped their intended quarry, or what they would certainly have to do if they caught up with them.

The only exception to this was the enigmatic Viper, who had given him cold shivers at the town earlier in the morning. According to the G&G spokesperson who had hired him on as part of Grey Team, the only one with access to his dossier was the team leader – Elias. He was fairly certain that, before this Op, none of the others had known or worked with each other before, so why then did Viper know about his parents? Or his brother? More chillingly was the fact that he had mentioned them by name, which he and his brother had made sure to cover up during their time with Umbrella.

A shimmer in front of him snapped Jake out of his thoughts and in the time it takes to draw breath, combat instinct took over and Jake brought his weapon up and hammered the trigger, spitting round after round at the monster before him. A shrill, piercing shriek made Jake wince and a jet of blood spurted out from what he could only assume was a telling wound (the creature's right eye, which Jake had hit by accident). Capitalising on his good fortune, Jake charged, firing at the bleeding spot, swapping out his magazine when it ran dry.

The tail of the creature whipped out, catching Jake in the chest, winding him and knocking his SMG out of reach. Half a second later the shimmering BOW was on top of him, snapping its jaws and clamping onto his body armour. Jake screamed in panic but other than the pressure, the armour held as the monster was too weak from pain to punch through the Kevlar plates. Reaching hastily for his sidearm, Jake drew the MP-443 Grach Russian pistol and fired away at the giant snake's snout. The 9x19mm Parabellum rounds punched straight through bone, cartilage and flesh, blowing out the back of the BOW's skull.

The dead monster crashed to the ground with Jake still trapped between the monster's teeth. He gasped as he felt a fang slip through a gap in the Kevlar and lance through his midsection. Gritting his teeth he forced himself to press his hands against the mouth of the beast and push.

He really didn't want to be stuck there in case there were more of the creatures.

**-X-**

Elias stared glumly at the smoking carcass at his feet. The monster had eaten a full magazine from his G36, another magazine from his MP7 when it had knocked it from his hands, and still wouldn't die. In the end he had pulled the pin on his last grenade and forced it down the throat of the BOW before leaping away, letting the monster explode into gory chunks. He picked up his G36 and dusted it off before scanning his surroundings. Grey Team had been separated when the BOWs had attacked and in his scuffle he had no idea how well the others had fared.

He grunted in approval as he saw Viper, Alaina, Natalia, Tech and Jäger saunter towards him, looking no worse for wear than they had before the skirmish had begun, and he silently applauded their individual skill. Scanning them one more time told him that he was short a man. Short a medic, even.

'Where's Burke?' he asked.

He saw the men and women glance at each other, unsure of Burke themselves. Elias suppressed a growl. He should have guessed that Burke would choke sooner or later. Umbrella or no, he was far too damned soft for this kind of work. He was about to order them to check their inventory and move on when Alaina suddenly pointed out with a cry of alarm. Turning, Elias saw that Burke lay a few scant metres away, apparently wrestling with something, which meant he was very much alive.

Grey Team made their way through the torn grass over to him and, eventually, managed to extricate him from the teeth of the creature. Elias frowned at the sight of Burke's wound.

'Don't worry,' Jake said, catching Elias' gaze, 'I don't think it's poisonous. I'm just in shock. Be all fine in a minute… you'll see.' It was clear to all that Jake was mostly muttering it for his own benefit. Still, Elias ordered Natalia to help patch him up. Amusingly enough, despite his injury and the proclaimed shock, Burke still instructed her through the entire procedure, and corrected her method no less than four times, much to the recon specialists' chagrin.

Finally he was bandaged up and the bleeding stopped. Jake replaced his body armour and winced as he stood up. Elias fixed him with an expectant look.

'The virus.' He intoned, casting a suspicious glance at Felix, who paled and touched the graze on his cheek.

Understanding filled Jake and he muttered bitterly before reaching into his medi-pouch and retrieving two auto-injectors filled with a cool, blue-purple mixture. He pressed one to his neck and depressed the needle, wincing at the sting but feeling relieved that the virus would not claim him today. He handed the other injector to Felix, who grabbed at it like a starving man offered a loaf of bread before he mimicked Jake's actions, sighing as the antidote flooded his system. Elias nodded, glancing over the rest of Grey Team in case there were any more injuries, when dealing with Umbrella's concoctions one could never be too careful. Finding nothing, he turned to lead on.

'Wouldn't mind another minute or so to–' Jake started, but paused when Elias turned his gaze back upon him.

'If we're done here ladies and gentlemen,' Elias started as he turned in the direction Viper had set them on, 'let's move on.'

According to Tech, who had downloaded a layout of the island, there was a Wildlife Ranger Station up ahead. Why the targets would run there was anyone's guess, but in the end it didn't matter. All that mattered was the mission.

Everything else was secondary.

**-X-**

**I don't know what to think of this update to be perfectly honest. Part of me is glad it's out but the rest of me thinks that it could have been much, much better. That said I'm never really happy with what I put out, so maybe that's just me being Mr Perfectionist. Oh well, I guess you guys will tell me if anything seems rushed.**

**As always, read and review. It motivates us a lot more than you'd imagine.**


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